


Undertale AU: Charity and Family

by Ryoccoon



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Papyrus (Undertale), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Baking, Comfort, Developing Friendships, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Family, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Human Papyrus (Undertale), Human Sans (Undertale), Male-Female Friendship, Papyrus (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Pillow Fights, Platonic Kissing, Protective Sans (Undertale), Romantic Friendship, Slow Burn, Snowball Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26123578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryoccoon/pseuds/Ryoccoon
Summary: When a young woman carries out her late mother's final wish, closure comes in the form of adventure and mystery, along with some terrible puns. Follow the heart-warming story of Charity, in her journey to help her new friends find happiness on the surface. An Undertale AU featuring human and monster versions of the characters. Slow burn about family, friendship and new beginnings. Many character appearances.
Kudos: 6





	1. Powder Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written by my big sister. You can find her on Quotev via the username BrownieBearie. She wanted to upload to A.O.O.O via my profile.

In the human world, that is the place above ground where the stars look like you could reach up and touch them and the horizon stretches for miles, when you turn 21 most people celebrate by hitting the bars or buying a new car. However, as she scanned over her mother's letter, taking in her handwriting and cherishing it's every dotted i and crossed t as if the words they belonged to whispered to her from beyond the grave itself, Charity couldn't help but wish for one thing- to carry out her mother's last wish perfectly.

She remembered how her fingers had trembled as she took the powder blue envelope from her father who watched her with teary eyes.

"She wanted you to have this and to read it carefully," he told her, his voice strained.

"But, but why now?" She had asked, her delicate fingers inherited from her mother tracing the edges of the paper with a mix of sadness and anticipation.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. But it was very important to her."

For a moment, he had sat and watched her, his hands balled into tight fists set on his thighs as he sat, completely still. She could tell he wanted to know what the contents of the envelope would reveal just as much as she did. But eventually, he stood and gave her the privacy she desired.

She didn't know what she had been expecting, really. Her mother had died not long after Charity's third birthday leaving only old photographs and her father’s stories of her for Charity to have any idea of what her mother might have been like- what she might have chosen to write to her only child. A blue eyed girl born in late summer who had inherited her mother's pianist fingers and chocolate-brown hair. Her father had gifted her with a gentle demeanor for, according to him, her mother was a strong-willed and determined soul. That much she could gather from the letter she had left her. The words themselves were carefully chosen, poetically written indeed, but with a firm sense of purpose and intent. It wasn't very long, nor particularly detailed in regards to what her mother was feeling at the time- how she felt knowing that her illness was soon to snatch her away from her husband and daughter...

Instead, she spoke clearly of how she wanted her ashes to be scattered.

Charity had read through letter over and over, hoping the words would reformulate into something more...more, well, just more. And, as she stood in the lonely spot her mother had described to her, the ornate urn carrying her ashes cradled in one hand, powder blue envelope clutched in the other, she couldn't help but crave that 'something more' more than ever.

It was an undeniably beautiful location seemingly untouched by humans. She bore the scratches from all the brambles and tangled tree roots she had had to venture through to get here on her slender ankles. Perhaps a pale sundress and sandals was not the most practical attire to carry out such a task. But she had wanted to look nice. After all, this was her mother's final resting place. She did not want to attend her mother's send-off dressed in hiking boots and cargo pants.

She took a minute to catch her breath and took in her beautiful surroundings. She stood upon a tranquil cliff top overlooking a deep valley, tall pines all around her and delicate flowers at her aching feet. She had been smart enough to at least carry bear repellent in her handbag. However, on her trek up to the secluded little clearing, she hadn't spotted a single living thing. Even the birds, who sang all above her, seemed to hide away from this intimate moment.

She slipped the letter back into her handbag. This was definitely the place. Her mother's instructions had been quite clear and the crooked pine that leaned slightly to the left towards a shallow cave entrance stood before her as clear as the bright sky above. She walked towards it and placed a hand against its trunk. She swallowed hard as she gazed at the two initials carved there. The same initials as hers- C.F.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she stood in the spot Clara Fritts had once stood. It was only when a flash of bright blue from somewhere by the mouth of the cave snatched her attention did she cease her crying. A jay, perhaps? Maybe the birds weren't so shy after all.

Wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her cardigan, she mentally told herself it was finally time. Her breath shook, but no longer from the tiring walk, as she removed the lid of the urn. Reaching in with fingers that trembled the way they had done when her father had handed her the letter, she took a handful of ashes.

Her mother had stated clearly that she wanted Charity to carry this task out alone. Her father had been reluctant to agree at first, but he had loved her mother dearly and had been the one to attend the cremation while a 3 year old Charity, riddled with chicken pox, had had to stay at home with a sitter. Knowing that she had missed that ceremony, and knowing how important this was to his wife, he had eventually obliged.

Charity thought back to the moment he had left her at the train station, how he had hugged her and told her to say some words on his behalf. But, as she scattered the ashes over the valley, she found herself unable to say a single thing. Only when her fingers grazed the bottom of the now empty urn did she finally manage to muster a quiet yet heart felt 'goodbye mother.'

As the words left her trembling lips, so did the last of her resolve and she slumped into a heap of quaking sorrow onto the soft moss underfoot.

Time passed by somewhat slowly and she eventually stilled. For some reason, as she pushed herself into a sitting position, a strange sensation washed over her. Was it shame? Anxiety? The cold? No, the sun still shone brightly through the tree tops and the birds still sang-

Another flash of bright blue and this time a crack of a branch. She sat up straighter. That wasn't a jay. She spun around and peered into the shallow cave, fearing that perhaps it hid something in its shadows. Squinting, she could make out it's damp walls and muddy floor and could, with a sigh of relief, say for sure that there was no bear lurking within.

"Heya."

She gasped loudly and spun around to face the source of the voice only to gasp again.

"You-er, okay kid?"

She stared blankly back at the young man before her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish at the surface of a pond.

"Kid, I said are you okay?" He asked again, his deep voice clashing somewhat with his baby face. He eyed her curiously, waiting for her response with his hands stuck deep into the pockets of his blue jacket. Had that been the flash of blue she had seen? She remember it being far brighter.

"Yes," she managed, getting to her feet. It was only when she was standing that she noticed how short he was. However, although his eyes probably only reached her nose, his fixing stare made her shrink somewhat. She thought quickly to the bear-repellent spray in her handbag and made the mental note to grab for it if he took any step closer.

"I'm fine," she said firmly when he made no hint at leaving.

She saw him glance at the urn by her feet then back to her and continued to watch her with a puzzled expression. She shifted uncomfortably _. Leave me alone._

"Okay," he said shrugged suddenly, as if he could read her mind, and just like that he turned to leave.

She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but the next thing Charity knew she was calling out to the stranger.

"Are you from around here?" She called, wincing almost immediately. Why was she talking to strange men who emerged mysteriously from trees? If only her father knew...

She instantly wished she had let him leave as the moment he turned back around to look at her, and her more closely at him, that she noticed he was wearing pink slippers.

 _I'm going to be murdered by a psycho in the very spot I scattered my mother's ashes_.

"Sort of," he replied in that jarringly low voice.

_Oh boy._

"It's been a while since I've been up here."

 _It's been a while since I last buried someone here. Dressed in these pink slippers_.

What had her mum been thinking sending her up here all alone?

"I see. Well it's a beautiful spot,"

_Jeez, Charity, stop talking._

"Yeah I guess it is." He took a seat on a near by tree stump, the simple action making Charity's heart drop. She should have let him leave...

"My condolences," he said, gesturing towards the urn.

"You picked a great location."

 _For me to murder you_.

"My mother picked it, actually."

"Oh really?"

This time, his voice seemed a little higher, his casual demeanor shifting slightly.

"You mean Clara's gone?" At this statement, both their bodies seemed to react. His face bore the expression of someone immediately recognizing their mistake and Charity almost collapsed back onto the moss.

"You knew my mother?" She asked in quiet disbelief.

Even as she spoke the words she knew it couldn't be true.

The young man before her was surely not much older than her.

Now that it was her turn to wait and stare out an answer from him did she noticed the brightness of his eyes, a similar blue to her own, though his hair was quite the opposite. It was extremely fair, practically white in the patches where the sunlight caught it through the canopy. It looked un-styled, perhaps even a little unkempt, but luckily for this slipper-wearing stranger, that seemed to be the fashion these days. How he he even got here in those slippers? She remembered how much her feet ached in her sandals.

"I, er, knew _of_ your mother," he answered, his ridged posture returning to a casual slump. His hands hadn't left his pockets this whole time.

She squinted at him the same way she had done when she gazed into that little, shallow cave and suspected that he too, was possibly hiding something.

He must have sensed her unease for he quickly continued.

"My family knew her. They told me a lot about her. They were very fond of her. She was..."

He paused and broke her gaze for only a moment, but in that moment she could have sworn she saw the same sorrow that flashed in her father's eye the day he handed her that letter.

"She was a good woman."

A million emotionally fueled questions began to well up inside her. What did they tell you? What was she like? Why is it that you seem to know more about her than I do?

And as she made her way back the to the BnB her father had booked for her trip, she kicked herself for letting him leave it at that.

* * *


	2. Answers

The next few trips back to the cliff top weren't as strenuous as the first. However, as she weaved her way through the tall pines and over the knotted roots, the same question did add an extra bit of mental baggage to the trip. _Why am I doing this_?

Initially, she had told herself it was because she wanted to spend a little more time at the location to gain some sort of closure. Perhaps being in the spot her mother had so firmly chosen to be her final resting place would grant her an insight into the type of woman she had been. Had she liked the smell of moss and pine? Charity preferred sweeter smells. Had she enjoyed the sound of birdsong? Charity remembered resenting the sound during her years of late nights at college. Maybe it was the feel of the warm sun that made her choose this place. Back home where her father waited for her, the weather was always miserable. Yes. The sun. That must be it.

However, on the 4th day and after the 4th long hike through the forest, she finally had to admit to herself that the reason her feet ached and her ankles were covered in scratches was because she was hoping to see the short, slipper-wearing psycho again.

_He can answers my questions. He can tell me about my mum._

But as she sat on the stump he had and stared forlornly out at the valley, the chances of him randomly appearing out of thin air again were-

"Heya.”

She spun around and there he was, hands stuck deep into his pockets and pink slippers on his feet. When she had finished asking him about her mum, she would ask him about his curious choice of footwear next.

"Hey,” she replied, getting to her feet and nervously straightening her skirt.

"You stalking me or something?" he asked, a lazy grin splitting his round face.

For a second she wanted to point out that if they were to ask anyone blessed with the gift of sight who out of the two of them looked like the stalker, that she would most certainly not be it.

"No," was what she opted for. She still had the uneasy feeling that he could potentially murder her and wasn't in a rush to test that theory.

"I just wanted to visit this place a few more times before I head home."

"It's quite the trek to be making in sandals and a dress." He drawled, still grinning at her.

He must have noticed her gaze quickly drop to his feet and back because he followed that admittedly uncomfortable, (a normal person would have run a mile) remark with:

"They're comfy and I don't live far from here, remember?"

"Oh I..."

She flushed a little. She had been hoping to get to the subject of his slippers after.

"You wanna know more about your ma, huh?"

Her eyes must have revealed her instant relief at not having to straight up ask him herself because his expression fell into a gentle smile making him look a little less like a grinning, slippered psycho and more like someone reminiscing about happy times.

Charity felt her shoulders relax and despite knowing she shouldn't let her guard down so foolishly, she couldn't help but settled down like a child awaiting a bedtime story.

"She died when I was three." She muttered. She clutched her handbag to her, the powder blue letter buried inside amongst her bear-repellent, a sketch book and tissues she hoped she wouldn't have to use in front of this practical stranger. But as she looked up, she realized that perhaps she would have to offer one to him instead as for a moment, she could have sworn his eyes glistened sadly.

"I see," he said, his voice a little hoarse. He heaved a sigh and gestured to patch of moss a respectable distance away from her.

"Can I?" He inquired, although he had already flopped down with a heavy thud.

"Your mother was very kind. We met when she got lost here in the forest when she was just a kid-"

"By 'we' you mean your family, right?" Charity cut in, her brow furrowed. Now that he was a little closer she noticed he had stumble on his chin but beneath that, he still had the youthful face of a man no older than her.

"Er, yeah."

He cleared his throat and continued, bouncing his slipper on his foot.

"She was really young. I dunno, maybe 5 or 6? She didn't really talk much. Anyway, we, I mean my family, took her in and looked after her for a while. We didn't know exactly where she came from. We just knew she came from up here."

Charity frowned at the use of the phrase 'up here.' She had the urge to cut in again but instead chose to let him continue guessing he had just meant 'somewhere above the valley.'

"Anyway, my family did their best to get her back to her family, but after a while, they chose to just keep her."

He said this all so casually, blinking up at the canopy with his hand still in the pockets of his jacket. Bits of dried leaves clung to his white socks and black sweat shorts.

"So, your family raised my mum?" Charity said in a voice that barely carried above the sound of birdsong.

He said nothing for a while, still bouncing his slipper against his foot. Charity resisted the urge to grab it and toss it into the valley below.

"Kind of. Until she was old enough to leave. Growing up with us means you have to grow up pretty fast. She eventually chose to leave. I suppose deep down she always felt like an outsider. She visited regularly though."

Charity was still processing the words as they tumbled so freely from his mouth, a deep, somewhat monotonous drawl. He felt her own mouth doing that goldfish impression again as she struggled to formulate the questions that floated through her mind like air bubbles. But before the goldfish could close her lips around one, he had already began to talk again.

"One day, she came with the news that she had met a guy. We saw her less and less after that. But we were happy for her..."

Charity still found the use of the word 'we' a little strange but at this point she just wanted to hear the end of the story. Her mother’s story. Finally...

"The last time we saw her, she told us she'd married the guy. And that she was going on her honeymoon."

Charity remembered how fondly her father had spoken about their honeymoon. They'd gone to Italy. Her mother had loved spaghetti.

"She said she'd come see us as soon as she could once she got back. But we never heard or saw her after that."

He rubbed his nose with his knuckle then returned his hand straight back to his pocket. A moment of quiet passed between them. The birds sang happily and the leaves rustled in the canopy high above. Somehow, the smell of moss and pine seemed a little sweeter.

"And now here you are,"

He turned to look at her and she shifted a little under that unnerving stillness his eyes held. She turned hers away to stare into her handbag, the corner of the envelope peaking out at her.

"She got sick not longer after I turned 2. She died a year later. She left me a letter for me open once I turned 21 asking for me to take her ashes here and scatter them. I didn't really know why until now."

When she looked up he was still watching her.

"You look a bit like her," he mused, then quickly added, "from photos I've seen. You must have your dad's eyes though. Hers weren't blue."

He was right, of course, both her and her father shared deep blue eyes. Almost the same shade as the eyes that now watched her so curiously. It had never occurred to her before, but nearly every photo she remembered of her mother, she had had her eyes closed in a happy smile. She didn't know what color her mother's eyes had been.

"What color were they?" She asked, a little embarrassed.

The stranger shrugged a shoulder.

"Can't remember'"

Another moments silence passed. She used it to contemplate all that she had learnt. Her mother had had a more than unusual childhood. She had been lost in the forest at 6 years old and taken in by a local family. Her father had never mentioned anything like this to her before. Had her mother even told him any of this? Was he aware that this wife was a missing child? Was her original family still looking for her? Who attended their wedding then? Was it this stranger's family who had sat in the little chapel and watched her mother and father make their vows? If so, who was this stranger to Charity? 

"Sorry, I didn't get your name." She turned to him with a smile. If he was going to kill her, he would surely have done it by now, right?

He stopped tapping his slipper against the sole of his foot, the dull sound of it bouncing against his leaf-covered socks coming to an abrupt halt. 

"Sans." He said simply. And pushed to his feet.

She followed suit and stretched out a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Charity."

He gave a small grunt of laughter, his face a wide grin. For a moment she thought he was laughing at her name.

"It's Sans. Not Sam. And it's nice to meet you too, Charity."

A pang of embarrassment shot through her and she made to retract her hand as she muttered her apologies but he took hold of it and gave it a firm shake. Sans. Of course he would have a strange name. He wore pink slippers to go for a stroll in the forest. What on earth were the rest of his family like? This family that supposedly brought her mother up. There was so much more she wanted to know, about her mother and now about this mysterious family. Could she even believe the story he told her? Besides the slippers, he looked like a normal guy, his round, boyish face smiling kindly at her in the golden, evening light. He had known her mother's name...

The sun was sinking low behind the trees on the opposite side of the valley and the air was now growing cold- too cold to be out in a sundress and sandals. She would have to head back.

"Well, Sans. Thanks for talking to me. I, er should probably get back." She withdrew her hand and flashed him a small smile.

"Anytime kid," was his reply.

"Kid? She retorted, cocking an eyebrow as she scooped up her handbag and slung it over her shoulder.

"You're not much older than me...”

_Not to mention shorter..._

”...give or take a year?” 

"Eh, give or take I suppose." He said with a lazy shrug.

She couldn't help her smile despite herself. She had decided somewhat naively that she liked this weirdo in slippers. Perhaps it was because he had given her something she had craved for so long: details about her mother. She just hoped that it wasn't all a lie.

But he did know her mother’s name...

She had bid him goodbye and made her way back to the BnB where she now lay in bed starring up at the ceiling in a quiet, contemplating trance. Tomorrow was her last day in this strange little town before she was meant to head back home to her father and cold weather. But there was so much she still wanted to know. She wanted to meet Sans' family- her mum's family. She wanted to hear more. Sans had admitted he couldn't remember what colour her mum's eyes had been. What else had he forgotten? Maybe someone else could tell her. Someone from this mysterious family. 

She rolled onto her side and gazed at the ornate urn on the window sill, feeling as empty as it now was. She closed her eyes and quite suddenly felt herself filled with determination. Tomorrow she would make the trek back up to the cliff top one last time. She would look for Sans and she would ask to meet his family.


	3. Crumble

This time she decided to wear boots. She had gotten up early and eaten her breakfast on the way up through the forest. It was shaping up to be another beautiful day and she was thankful that she had stuck with opting for a dress, rather than don herself in walking gear head to toe. Perhaps a strange clothing combination, admittedly, but no stranger than the person's she was going to see. Once she finally reached the top, however, she would have killed to slip her aching feet into a pair of slippers. Five days of trekking up and down this valley had really taken its toll on her. But she needed answers and today was her seemingly last chance to get them. Her father was expecting her tomorrow and she couldn't wait to ask him about all that she had learnt so far.

After taking the usually 10 minutes to catch her breath she looked for any signs of Sans. The air smelt of pine and fresh moss. The birds were singing. Apart from them, however, there were no other signs of life. She called out. And walked along the perimeter of the clearing. She didn't want to stray too far from the path she had now grown so accustom to treading.

Nothing. She felt her heart drop.

 _Stay determined_.

She called out again. And again. And again.

Then, she saw it. That peculiar flash of blue. Not the shade of the jacket Sans wore, but a brighter, more luminous shade coming from the mouth of the shallow cave. Hesitantly, she approached. One step. Then two. Three, four, five until she stood in its darkened center. It wasn't very deep, nor was the ceiling tall. In fact, it was almost a perfect dome. The walls glistened as the light that leaked in through the drooping vines at its entrance bounced off all the uneven surfaces. Perhaps it had been a trick of the light. She turned and made to walk back into the sunlight.

At first she thought that it was her throbbing feet. But after the second time there was no mistaking the crumbling sensation of the wet earth falling away beneath her. She let out a scream as suddenly the darkness swallowed her, her hands grasping at nothing as she plummeted down, down...

"S'nice of you to _drop_ by."

Her head was pounding and her body ached all over. Shakily, she raised her head. How long had she been out? 

"You really know how to make an entrance. Some would call it _groundbreaking_."

Another flash of vivid blue. Or was it stars in her eyes from having hit her head?

"Lucky for you I was here to stop the worst of your fall. Otherwise I think your situation would have been a real _pain in the neck."_

That voice sounded familiar. She sat up and blinked away the gloom. Around her, lay the scattered remains of dead flowers illuminated by the little light than managed to trickle in from above. She looked up and would have gasped had it not been for the fact she was still slightly winded. She must have fallen meters and meters. There was no way she could have survived. Yet, her she was. Still wearing her boots, her handbag laying a little distance from her, her dress covered in mud. Then she remembered the voice.

"Sans?" She groaned, making a feeble attempt to get to her feet.

"Stay down kid, I've got someone coming to help."

She squinted. Her knees shaking weakly as she tried to make out his figure in the gloom.

"Sans is that you?" She made to take a step closer towards his silhouette.

"In the flesh. Well, sort of."

She would have gladly exchanged the earlier throb of her feet for the ache she now felt in her body. But she took another step closer regardless.

"Kid, just sit back down. Someone is coming to help. Just hang in there, 'Kay?"

Another determined step towards his voice and then another. She reached out a dazed hand then stumbled as her legs refused another step.

Hands caught her and for a moment she smelt pine trees and fresh moss.

"I told you to stay still. Gonna put you down now, 'Kay kid?"

It was definitely Sans. That low voice coming from the silhouette that held her cautiously, a figure a few inches shorter than her. 

' _Kid' you're barely older than_ -

She shouldn't have looked up. And for the split second before she opened her mouth to scream, she heard Sans mutter a small 'oh boy.'

Her screams echoed off the walls of the cave, bouncing off every surface as the sunlight had done far above in that dome-like cave entrance before she had plummeted to, what could only have been, her death. For the figure that held her by the arms was not the baby-faced, blue eyed boy with unkept hair and a lazy grin that she had seen yesterday but a skinless, eyeless skeleton with no hair and the permanent grin that only a skull could achieve. Still screaming in fear, she tore herself from his grasp, falling straight onto her backside. Despite the earlier ache in her body, her legs suddenly found the strength to paddle her backwards through the mud so as to take her as far away from the nightmarish figure before her as possible. It turned out, however, that that wasn't very far as her back soon hit the cave wall with a stomach-dropping thud. The noise was enough to cease her screaming, that and she could no longer manage anything more than a petrified whimper for skeleton Sans was now walking towards her, his hands raised and his eyeless sockets turned towards her.

"Charity, it's okay. I ain't gonna hurt ya. Just try not to move, Kay? You'll do yourself more damage."

That same deep voice that had told her all about her mother, lulling her into a child-like trance as he spoke of her childhood, now sent a shiver down her spine. She tried to speak but nothing came from her lips. A goldfish gasping for air after being taken from its natural habitat. Sans was now crouching in front of her, patting her knee awkwardly. _Fish out of water._

It was as if her mind was truly playing tricks on her in the moment that followed. Another voice had sounded from somewhere to her right, a female voice. She turned her head towards it, ready to call for help. But as her eyes fell upon the figure of a slender woman dressed in boots and tights pants, bright red hair pulled high into a ponytail up out of her face- a face covered in blue scales, a face that flashed a toothy, pointy smile as it took in the scene.

 _Fish out of water_...

"So this is the new human, huh?"

Then everything went black once again.


	4. Knock Knock

When she awoke to the sound of excited voices, Charity had imagined she was back at her college dorm and that perhaps, that girl from the room at the far end of the corridor had finally broken up with her cheating boyfriend and the news had just got out. However, as her eyes creaked open, it didn’t take her long to notice that this wasn’t her college dorm. There were no posters of her favorite band on the walls, nor were there scattered textbooks on the floor. In fact, the room she was greeted with was spectacularly tidy. It had a warm glow and a comforting feel. Or perhaps it would have done had the realization that she had most surely missed her train home and that she didn’t have a single clue as to where she was or how she got here, set in. Maybe she was still at college after all... Had she drank tequila last night?

As quietly as she could, she slipped out from beneath the covers. She tried not to gasp as she noticed she was no longer wearing her sundress, instead someone had put her in a long white gown. Her boots had been cleaned of mud and had been neatly placed at the door. Her handbag was nowhere to be seen. She took a moment to steady her breathing and tiptoed towards her boots. She scooped them up but decided against putting them on. She would be able to sneak out better barefoot. Some plan so far, right?

The chatter was still floating merrily up the hallway. Hopefully, whoever had brought her here would not notice her leave. Or perhaps they were nice people? She pondered this as she stood silently at the door, her hand at its handle. Then she remembered the last thing she had seen before passing out: a monstrous looking fish lady with sharp teeth and an eye-patch. And that skeleton that sounded like Sans. She took in deep breath and made to turn the door handle.

“Knock knock!”

She let out a small scream as she fell backwards, the door swinging open.

“Please don’t hurt me!”

Sans’ short silhouette appeared in the frame.

“You’re supposed to say ‘who’s there.’ But considering what you’ve been through I’ll let you off.”

He leaned against the door frame. The skeleton even acted like Sans, with its fists dug deep into the blue jacket he wore.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded again as she stared up into its eyeless face.

“Calm down, kid. We’re not going to hurt ya. I broke the worst of your fall and Undyne carried you here. Toriel’s washed your dress so you can get out of that weird robe. You look like Napstablook.”

He chuckled at that last part. That fixed grin bearing down on her. But when Charity continue to stare in a fearful silence he heaved a sigh.

“You wanted to meet my family, right? Your ma’s family?”

Charity nodded slowly. Still quivering like the leaves in the canopy she and Sans has once sat beneath as he told her all about how her mother had got lost in the forest.

_We just knew she came from up here_

That’s what he had said. She had thought he’d meant somewhere in the valley. But no. He must have meant quite literally ‘up here’- the place she had fallen from. A place very different from the one she had landed in...

“Well? C’mon. My brother is dying to meet you.”

He turned back into the hallway leaving her to muster enough courage to follow him. She felt another surge of determination and pulled on her boots, letting them carry her down the hallway after Sans and towards what she hoped would be answers.

The excited chatter ceased immediately upon her entry. She suddenly thought she might pass out again.

She clutched the door frame for support as three heads turned to look at her. The fish lady wasn’t there. However, two new _people_ , for lack of a better word, stood either side of Sans. Both seemed to tower over him. Being not much taller than him herself, Charity found the figures extremely intimidating. The figure on the left of Sans was undoubtedly the brother he had mentioned. Another skeleton, dressed in a strange ensemble of garments, had its jaw hanging open in a surprised gape. Charity faintly made out a quiet squeal coming from his direction. On Sans’ right side stood the tall figure of what Charity could only describe as a cow, (or goat?) Supposedly noticing Charity’s blatant apprehension, the cow-headed figure spoke. She had a soft and motherly voice and approached her gracefully. As she drew closer, Charity noticed her long lashes and big, round eyes. She had milk white fur and large hands which she placed gently on her shoulders.

“So you’re Clara’s girl.” She said, her voice filled with awe and kindness.

“My, you look so much like her, child.”

She moved a gentle hand to her cheek, pushing back her hair as she did so.

“The same lovely hair. You must have your fathers eyes though. Am I right?”

Charity nodded slowly. Her father, who’s blue eyes must be frantically scanning the platforms at the train station hoping to see his daughter.

“What color were my mother’s eyes?” She croaked.

The gentle cow tilted her head and guided her towards a chair, humming in thought as she went.

“Brown I believe.”

Brown eyes. Like the tall, strong pines at the place where she had chosen to have her ashes scattered. Like the earth that had swallowed her daughter.

“Did my mother fall down here too?”

The questions just seems to flow from her. Her head still hurt a little. Perhaps that’s why she wasn’t thinking straight. 

“Child...” the cow began, pushing a steaming mug of what smelt like tea towards her.

“There is much to tell you.”

And just like that, the gentle cow called Toriel told Charity everything she knew of her mother. For she had known a lot. It was Toriel that had first looked after her mother when she had fallen through the floor of the cave. It was she who had chosen to raise her until she was old enough to choose to go back to the human world. For this was a place where monsters dwelled.

Sans had helped recall parts of the story where Toriel could not. It was just like Charity had suspected upon meeting him for the first time- he was hiding a lot more than he had initially made out. And when Sans had seemingly fallen asleep at the dining table, his eager brother, who up until this time had managed to suppress his longing to interrupt, took it upon himself to proudly recall all the moments he and Clara had spent together. He called himself ‘the Great Papyrus’ and was proud to call himself her mother’s best friend. He spoke enthusiastically about the ventures they had shared together and it wasn’t long before the real craziness began to reveal itself.

Toriel spoke of a war between monsters and humans, one that pushed the monsters underground. She seemed reluctant to go into much detail but spoke firmly when she mentioned how Charity’s young mother had helped break the barrier that kept monsters trapped beneath the surface and monsters were now free to come and go as they pleased.

“That explains how Sans has been keeping an eye on you all this time.” Said Papyrus proudly, thumping his shorter brother hard on the back. Sans gave a small grunt and slowly raised his head. His mouth opened into what Charity could only assume was a yawn- it was still unnerving seeing him in this form.

“And to think you accused _me_ of being a stalker.” She said with a frown.

Sans shrugged. “At first I thought you were Clara. You both have the same hair,” he gestured to his own hairless head. “But when I noticed you weren’t her, I decided to hang back and keep watch.”

“Those flashes of blue? That was you?” Charity asked, cradling her now empty cup.

“Keeping an eye on you. Just like Papy said.” He and his brother both chuckled quietly. Before Charity could ask them what was so funny, Toriel spoke again. 

“We’re still a little distrusting of humans,” she sighed, hanging her head slightly. “That’s why very few of us have chosen to leave, despite being able to.”

“And it’s why we choose to use magic to look like you too!” Papyrus piped up. “And I can’t say it’s a look that I like very much to be quite honest with you!”

She thought back to the first time she saw Sans as a human.

So he’d used magic huh? She glanced over at him and pondered at how accurate his human form looked in comparison to his monster form. The same roundish features, short broad stature, that perpetual grin. He was missing his messy white hair and blue eyes. He no longer had those dimpled cheeks and fuzzy, blond stubble...

The words left her mouth before she could even try to stop them.

“Sans looked nice.” She immediately wished the floor would swallow her again.

Papyrus gave a huff, while Toriel chuckled softly. Sans made no real reaction what so ever but simply stated “well of course, kid. You’re only human after all.”

And if he had had eyelids, Charity was sure he would have winked at her. She quickly made to break the silence that followed.

“B-But non of you are really that monstrous, I mean, you looked after my mother. You raised her. You’re not so scary-“

“So that scream back in the cave was of pure delight, I assume? Undyne will be disappointed you don’t find her utterly terrifying. She was quite proud to have made you faint.”

Toriel cast Sans a look that made him pretend to go back to sleep, or perhaps he had. It was hard to tell when he didn’t have any eyes.

“That’s very kind of you to say, child,” said Toriel, whose emotions were far easier to gauge, what with her having eyes to emote with.

“But just as fearful as you were of us seeing us for the first time, many of us monsters feel the same way towards you humans. Many of us have truly only met one human, your mother, and when she no longer came to visit us...” she trailed off and Charity saw Papyrus’ shoulders slump.

“We hoped she’d come and help lead us into the human world once she grew up. She mentioned having us come meet her husband once they’d got back from their honey moon. It was the first step towards a possible new beginning.”

Charity felt a small pang of sadness. Had they really waited down here all this time for her mother? Not knowing that a savage illness was ravaging her body making her unable to even leave her bed, let alone make the trip back up to the cave. 

“She got sick.”

Papyrus nodded, sniffling slightly. “Yeah, Sans told us. He said you’d come to scatter her dust.”

“Ashes, Pap ” Sans spoke up. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping, although his head still lay on the table.

“Monsters turn to dust, humans to ashes.”

“Oh yeah.”

Charity looked to each of them in turn as realization slowly dawned on her.

“My mother wanted me to come here. Right here. To your world. The initials on that tree. I thought they were her initials, but maybe...maybe they were mine after all. She wanted me to step into that cave.”

“But you didn’t. For five days I tried to get you to go in there.” Sans had now hopped off the stool he was sat on and had wandered over to the fridge. “Turns out you’re even more bone-headed than me.”

Charity squinted at his hunched form as he scanned the contents of the fridge.

“Well your attempts weren’t the greatest.” She thought about the flashes of blue light. What had they been exactly? Sans’ magic? The brothers had laughed at the notion that he’d ‘kept an eye an her’ but in this form he had no eyes to do so. Perhaps that was the joke? Having found nothing in the fridge to his liking, he closed the door and turned back to face her.

“Well what did you want me to do? Push you?”

She opened her mouth to answer but the sound of her stomach rumbling cut her short. It seemed that Sans’ action of opening the fridge had made her realize that she hadn’t eaten a thing since her breakfast-on-the-go this morning.

“Oh dear, you hungry, child?” asked Toriel, looking way more alarmed than necessary. “I can bake you a pie, if you’d like?”

“I’ll make spaghetti!” Roared Papyrus and was already on his feet, collecting pots and pans on the way to the stove. _Mum’s favorite food._ And she couldn’t help but smile. So this was what her mother had wanted her to find. 

*

Papyrus’ spaghetti was surprisingly good. He had gone quiet for a whole 10 minutes after Charity had praised his cooking skills. It was only the arrival of Toriel’s pie that snapped him out of his silence. After eating their fill, the two brothers said they had to bid Toriel and Charity goodbye- Papyrus mentioning something about needing to feed Sans’ pet rock. Charity had to admit she felt a little apprehensive about seeing Sans leave. He was the person she was most familiar with after all. But Toriel’s instincts were always spot on. Sensing, her unease, she assured Charity that she’d escort her to the town Sans and Papyrus lived in the following day. And that with their help, as well an Undyne’s and another monster called Alphys’, assistance they’d all help her get back home. Home. Where her father currently must be sat waiting for her. She confessed her worries to Toriel that evening after having bathed. Thankfully, Toriel had already taken this into consideration and had had someone, Alphys, reach out to her father to let him know she was safe and would be returning home a little later than planned. Although this calmed her a little, she still couldn’t help but wonder whether this would be enough to keep her worrisome father satisfied.

Despite her anxiety, she had little energy to dwell on it for much longer, the long day had taken its toll on her. Her body no longer ached so much (she suspected there was something else in that tea Toriel had made), but she was undoubtedly exhausted none the less. She returned to the bedroom Toriel had made up for her to find her freshly cleaned dress folded neatly on the bed. She’d forgotten to ask who’d undressed her while she was unconscious but was pretty sure it had been Toriel. Moving the dress to a nearby chair, Charity threw herself into the covers. This was unarguably the strangest day of her life yet somehow, she had never felt more content. Once again, as she drifted into the welcoming arms of sleep, did that strange sensation fill her body. Determination. And there, in the bed her mother had once slept in as a child, she made the decision to help lead the monsters above ground once and for all.


	5. Snow Idea

If Toriel hadn’t knocked on her door that morning, Charity was sure she would had have slept through the whole day. Despite that, once she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and groggily slipped on her dress and boots, she was eager to start the day. Considering she had only turned 21 less than a week ago, she couldn’t help but feel like a child again. She remembered how Sans had kept calling her ‘kid’ and for a moment pondered the question as to how old he really was. He had clearly been around when her mother was a child. He had watch her grow. The thought was utterly bizarre. When he was a human he looked not much older than her- dimpled and babyfaced. 

And Toriel, who had made her another cup of hot tea and chatted with her as she drank, she had been the one who’d raised her mother. So did make her Charity’s...grandmother? _Utterly bizarre_. 

As they chatted casually about local news and briefly glossed over the old political workings of the monster world, (Toriel refused to elaborate much on any questions regarding those topics,) Charity found herself more and more alarmed at how easily she was accepting all this. It still all felt like a bizarre dream. Perhaps she would wake up after having fallen asleep in the warm sunlight of the valley. Or perhaps she would wake up to find herself tied up in some abandoned shed after having been drugged by a strange man in slippers...

Speaking of which-

“So you ready to go see Sans and Papyrus?” 

Toriel had cleaned and put away the tea cups and turned to Charity with a smile. 

“It’s a little bit of a walk but considering you climbed the valley 5 days in a row, it shouldn’t be a problem for you!” 

Toriel had been right, it was indeed quite the walk but they passed the time by talking about the notion of monsters returning to the surface. Charity tried to sound as casual as possible as she suggested they all go back with her. The tall, cow-lady at her side had hummed quietly in thought. Charity had gone on-

“I could help you start a new life. My dad, he could help. His business is pretty successful. He has money...”

They walked in sync through the most bizarre of landscapes Charity had ever seen, in muted shades of purple, luminous shades of blue and burning shades of orange. 

“Your father. Yes, Clara always spoke so fondly of him. She was so in love. He runs a food business, am I right?” 

Charity nodded, smiling to herself as she added, “that’s right. He owns a chain of restaurants.”

She turned her smile to Toriel. 

“Pasta restaurants.” 

That made the cow-lady laugh. 

“Ah yes. Clara always loved having Papyrus cook spaghetti for her. I’m guessing she must have past her love for it on to your father?” 

“You mean _pasta_ lovefor it...” 

They turned their heads towards Sans’ voice. 

“C’mon Toriel. I can’t believe you missed that one.” 

Toriel seemed to find the terrible pun way more funny that Charity had. Sans had used puns of the same calibre back in the cave as she had woken up from the fall. The chilling image of Sans’ skeletal visage was still a shock to her. She tried to hide her slight discomfort as he approached them. She wondered if she’d ever get used to this version of him. 

“I thought I’d meet you half way,” he said, falling in to step alongside them. Toriel sighed.

“We’re practically there, Sans. But thank you for the sentiment.” 

He shrugged and turned his empty eye sockets towards Charity. 

“How you feeling today, Charity?” 

She noticed he hadn’t called her ‘kid’ that time. 

“A lot better, thanks.” And she really did. As jarring as his bald, lipless skull was, she couldn’t help but feel her spirits lift a little more in his presence. Despite now looking like a monster, he was still the only familiar thing to her below ground, other than her handbag and its contents. Her phone had died ages ago. She wondered if her dad had tried to call her. 

“Oh, and thank you for breaking my fall, by the way. How did you even manage?” 

The ground underfoot had at some point turned to snow. Once again she found herself eyeing Sans’ choice of footwear. 

“What? You suggesting I don’t look capable of performing heroic feats?” 

_I mean, you’re wearing pink slippers._

“Coz I wouldn’t blame you. I’m extremely unassuming.” 

Charity laughed. _This guy..._

As they followed the tree-lined path she watched as Sans, with a curl of his bony fingers, caused a pile of snow just ahead of them to form into a perfect ball, a bright blue glow encircling it as it hung in the air. She looked from the suspended snowball to Sans, and suddenly understood the ‘keeping his eye on you’ joke he and his brother had shared the other day. 

Where there had been only empty, black cavities moments before, in his left eye socket glowed a bright, blue iris. He turned his forever grinning face towards her and, with a point of his glowing fingers, shot the perfectly round snowball towards her head. She barely dodged it. 

He chuckled, praising her quick reflexes. 

“I managed to slow your fall somewhat, but you still hit the ground pretty hard. Heh. Whoops.” 

Far too astonished by his powers to be angry she nearly got a face full of snow, she had asked him to make another snowball. She watched the snow form into a perfect sphere and he tossed it lazily at her again. It still missed her only by a hair. She asked him to do it again, this time, stopping in her tracks to scoop up a snowball of her own. 

He had seemingly been taken aback by her enthusiasm to have glowing, blue snowballs hurled at her but he happily obliged nonetheless. She dodged most of them, but a few had hit her point blank in the face. She got nowhere near to hitting Sans. But determination surged within her and at one point, she almost landed one on him. He was pretty swift for someone in slippers. Toriel’s smiling face watched on from a safe distance by a sign that marked the entrance to a curious little town called ‘Snowdin.’ This was where the two brothers lived. 

The heated snowball fight only ceased when Papyrus’ loud voice called over Charity and Toriel’s laugher. 

“SANS!” 

The smaller skeleton turned, his sockets returning to empty voids. 

“Hey, bro.” 

“I’ve been waiting at Grillby’s with Undyne and Alphys for 10 whole minutes!” He bellowed somewhat childishly, the red scarf at his neck flapping in the snow-flecked wind. 

“And why is the human, I mean, Charity, covered in snow?” 

“Snow idea,” Sans shrugged. This time Charity joined in with Toriel’s raucous laughter as Papyrus marched over to his smaller sibling. 

“Well, I’ll let you explain to Undyne why you’re late again!” 

Grillby’s, it turned out, was a cosy bar owned by one of the most peculiar monsters she had seen so far. He greeted Sans at the bar and handed him a plate of fries doused in an ungodly amount of what Charity hoped was ketchup and not blood. Monsters ate french fries? Grillby then turned to Charity and froze. Well, he went very still, as he couldn’t possibly freeze since he was made entirely of fire. The figure of a man engulfed entirely in flames wearing glasses and a crisp, white shirt and black waistcoat, looked over her. 

“Grillby, this is Charity.” Sans informed, gesturing towards her, holding a thickly ketchup-coated french fry between his skeletal fingers. 

Charity smiled up at the fiery barman from her stool next to Sans. She had brushed the snow from her hair and clothes left there from the snowball fight upon entering the bar and was disappointed to find that, despite looking like a human-shaped inferno, Grillby emitted no heat what so ever to lift the chill that had crept under her skin. Once again, she cursed her inappropriate clothing. Had she known they’d be snow this far underground, she’d have asked Toriel for an extra layer or two before they set out this morning. Perhaps having a snowball fight in a sundress wasn’t the best idea...

“She looks like-“ the fire man’s voice was ironically cool. 

“Clara?” Papyrus chimed in jovially, sliding into a seat next to Charity. “Yeah, that’s because she’s-“ 

“Clara’s daughter!” Called a familiar female voice. “Hey! Try not to pass out now!” 

Charity turned to see the tall, pointy toothed, scaled women that had appeared in the cave moments before she had slipped into unconsciousness, striding up to her tailed by a short, dinosaur-looking stranger that must have been the monster named Alphys. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” murmured Grillby, “I never thought we’d see another human down here.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said with a polite nod to the barman. She still found Undyne unnerving and was reluctant to turn to look at her. But, as a clawed hand grasped her shoulder firmly, she had no choice but to look up into its owner’s blue face. 

“H-hello, Undyne. Er. Thank you for helping me the other day.” 

The fish-woman’s smile broadened, showing even more sharp teeth. 

“No big deal, small fry. I almost thought Sans was pranking me when he said another human had fallen down here!” 

She gave Charity’s shoulder an amicable shake.

“But here you are! It’s good to see you conscious!” 

Charity managed a nervous smile and returned the sheepish wave that Alphys threw in her direction from behind Undyne’s towering figure. The fish-woman’s cold hand on Charity’s shoulder didn’t help the creeping goose pimples forming on the human’s icy skin. 

“It’s nice to meet you properly,” Charity smiled, absentmindedly rubbing her bare arms. 

Toriel had gone to secure them a table and it was only when she came back that the ever-observant cow-woman noticed Charity’s discomfort. 

“Oh, my dear! Are you cold?” 

Charity wanted to act tough in the presence of Undyne’s hard as nails demeanour but couldn’t deny her fingers felt numb. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll warm up eventually.” 

The cow frowned at her then a scraping noise turned their attention back to the bar where Grillby had pushed a tall, steaming drink towards her. It certainly wasn’t tea. 

“Drink that. That’ll put the fire back in your belly.” 

Undyne laughed. 

“Oh it sure will! C’mon, bring it over to the table Toriel got for us.” 

Charity eyed the bubbling, dark concoction suspiciously as everyone turned to head to a quiet table in the far corner of the bar. It was only when she raised the glass to sniff the strange liquid that she noticed Sans was watching her, his plate of ketchup and fries now empty. 

“You don’t have to drink that if you don’t want to.” 

Charity chanced another sniff. 

“What is it?” 

He shrugged. “One of Grillby’s secret recipes no doubt.” 

It smelt like sour apples and coal. She put her lips to the rim of the glass and they tingled instantly. She took a sip then suppressed the immediate urge to spit the liquid back into the glass. Her whole mouth felt as though she were holding bees inside her cheeks. 

“Heh.” Sans chuckled as he slipped off his stool. 

“Don’t ever let me forget your face right now.” 

He then shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her. 

“Try this instead.” 

She took the jacket from him and tried to utter a word of thanks but her mouth now felt as numb as her fingertips. So much for the fire in her belly. 

Sans continued to laugh quietly as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his padded jacket. It was surprisingly warm considering it had been worn by someone that didn’t seem capable of producing any body heat. It still smelt of pine and fresh moss. 

Now that he was jacketless, Sans resorted to placing his hands in the pockets of his black shorts. She tried not to stare at his bare, bony arms. 

“Yeah yeah. Very chivalrous, Sans!” called Undyne from across the room. 

“Now get over here!” 

Without another word Sans obliged and Charity followed. She hoped she’d get the feeling back in her mouth before she started drooling. Grillby hadn’t seemed to notice the effect his concoction had had on her as he continued to serve other customers. As she followed Sans to the table she cast a look around at the other monsters in the bar. Some watched her curiously, others continued their conversations with their friends. In a corner by a jukebox sat what looked like a man with a horse’s head, a pair of sunglasses perched precariously on his long face. Charity thought back to a lame joke her dad had told her about a horse walking into a bar...

On a table to her left sat a strange group of dog-like people, panting eagerly over a game of cards. She tried not to stare at the white Shiba dressed in heavy armour. For a second she considered how most of these monsters didn’t look particularly monstrous, until her eyes fell upon the gaping mouth of a Venus fly-trap sat at the table opposite Undyne and the rest of their group. It turned its sharp toothed grin towards her and she hastened her steps to slide into a seat next to Alphys. The little dinosaur pushed her round spectacles up her nose. 

“The effects of that drink w-will wear off s-soon,” she stuttered bashfully, her eyes flitting from Charity, who had resorted to covering her mouth with a napkin Sans had handed her, to Undyne who was laughing at Charity’s growing discomfort. 

Charity nodded a thanks at Alphys and hoped the little reptile was right, fearing that she may end up looking like the drooling, fanged-plant monster that still seemed to be watching her.

“So Charity!” Papyrus announced, slapping his hand on the table so hard it almost made Alphys tumble from her seat. Charity feared he’d broken the bones of his hand. 

“Tell me about the human world! Is the sun still there?” 

He leaned across the table with his jaw hung open in quaking anticipation. 

Charity went to open her mouth to speak but, as spittle trickled onto her chin form behind her napkin, she resorted to nodding her head instead. 

“I knew it! Sans! This means I can still fight it!” 

“Sure thing, bro.” 

Alphys’ prediction turned out to be true and three napkins later, Charity could now engage in the conversations taking place at the table. Most of which were about her life on the surface. 

Eventually however, talk turned to Toriel’s and Charity’s early conversation about the possibility of monsters returning to the surface. Most of the monsters at the table, she was elated to find, supported her idea. Papyrus especially. The news that her father owned a chain of pasta restaurants almost brought a tear to his eye sockets. Just like earlier, however, Toriel seemed to have gone quiet. It was only when Charity was walking back to Papyrus and Sans’ house after Toriel suggested that she stay there instead of walking all the way back to her place, that Sans informed her why that might be. 

As she made herself comfy on the green couch in their relatively sparse living room, while Papyrus fussed over a sprinkled-covered rock, Sans turned to her and said in a quiet voice-

“Don’t worry too much about Toriel.” 

She tore her eyes away from the babbling Papyrus who was now gently petting the rock. 

“She’s still getting over what happened with Clara. It hit us all pretty hard when we finally realised she wasn’t coming back. And finding out that she’s gone...” 

He had begun to bounce his slipper on his foot the same way he’d done back on the cliff top. 

“But she took it the hardest.”

Charity nodded. It was completely understandable of course. She had raised her mother. Charity was too young to imagine what it would be like to lose a child and she had been too young to truly mourn the loss of her mother. 

“It all happened such a long time ago. But, losing two kids...” Sans murmured. 

“ _Two_ kids?” Charity cut in. 

Sans scratched his chin and sighed. 

“Ah. Yeah. I suppose it’s time you heard the full story.” 

From the other side of the room, Papyrus’ voice rang out. 

“Is it story time?!” 

The three of them settled in on the couch, Charity and Papyrus either side of Sans as he recounted her mother’s journey through the monsters’ world. Her mercy and gentleness had granted her many wonderful encounters with many monsters. As he reeled off every bizarre tale, recited snippets of conversations they had shared, and the epic tale of how she had helped break the barrier between worlds, Charity had opened her sketchbook and began to draw. She doodled miniature versions of the monsters she had met, wrote down quotes from what Sans had told her. When he eventually stopped talking, Charity had remained in a stunned silence, her sketchbook open in her lap, her mouth open in a gape. 

“And now that you’re here, human, we once again have a friend that will help take us to the surface!” bellowed Papyrus, punching the air as he jumped to his feet. 

Charity blinked awkwardly. There was even more strangeness to process and her brain was starting to feel a little groggy. It had been another long day. 

Sans got up from the sofa and began to head for the stairs, pausing at the foot of them and turning to Charity and his brother.

“C’mon, bro. Time to turn in. It’s another long walk back to the barrier tomorrow.” 

Papyrus slumped a little, “yes, you should get some sleep, human! Undyne said she wasn’t to be left waiting again!” And with that, he rushed upstairs to his room. 

“Is that gonna be enough to keep you warm tonight?” Sans asked as he gestured to the jacket around Charity’s shoulders. She’d forgotten he’d given it to her. 

“Er, yeah. Thanks,” she pulled it a little tighter around her. 

“‘Kay, well the couch is all yours. See ya in the morning.” 

She pulled off her boots and laid down as she heard Sans’ door close. She closed her eyes and tried to process all that she had learnt from today, from the conversations at Grillby’s, to everything that Sans had said earlier. Had the monsters really waited down here all this time, too scared to make the journey to the human world without her mother? And Toriel...she couldn’t help but feel pity towards her and cursed herself for being so tactless earlier. As her body sank into the soft surface of the couch, she felt the familiar spark of determination. She was wrong to have assumed that her mother’s final wish was to have her ashes scattered into the valley. No. It was all too clear now. It had to be her. She’d make Toriel see. She’d convince her that the surface would be a new beginning for all of them. Back in her college dorm, Charity had often lain awake racking her brains about what she would do in the future. But tonight, although things were a little more bizarre than her college days, at least now she had a clear goal, even if it was like the plot of some amateur FanFiction.


	6. One For The Road

The following morning, Charity had had a sneaking suspicion that Papyrus had been waiting for her to wake up before entering the living room. Because, the moment her feet hit the carpet as she swung her legs off the couch that she had slept surprisingly well on, he had burst out of his bedroom and jogged down the stairs. 

“Good morning, human!” He chimed happily. Luckily, Charity was quite the morning person, unlike Sans who joined them in the living room much later after having Papyrus hammer on his door a few times. When he finally emerged, he was wearing a new jacket and told Charity she could keep his other one for now. 

She spent the morning with the skeleton brothers drinking coffee and chatting about the similarities the human and the monster world shared. Like their love for coffee and fries for instance. 

“And don’t forget spaghetti!” exclaimed the taller of the siblings. 

Charity then went on to ask what were the main differences that separated the races. Sans elaborated on the notions of dust, magic and souls leaving her to wonder how safe it really was to bring them to the surface. Once again, as if he could read her mind, Sans went on-

“Unlike monsters, humans seem to be more violent in nature. They fear what they don’t understand, rather than embrace it. It’s why they have never been able to channel magic.” As he said this, he used his telekinesis to raise the coffee pot on the table and refill his mug. 

“It’s practically unheard of to hear about monsters hurting other monsters...” he sipped his coffee as Papyrus nodded at his brothers words. “Yet, if the newspapers down in the local town are anything to go by, it humans seem to hurt other humans all the time.” 

Charity’s mug hit the table loudly. 

“You’ve been into the town? The town where I’ve been staying? The human town?” 

Papyrus huffed, “how many times must we tell you human! My brother has been keeping an eye on you ever since you started snooping around outside the cave entrance! I’m proud to say it’s the most devoted he’s ever been to a job so far!” 

Charity went quiet as she thought for a moment. 

“Those few days when I’d gone back and you hadn’t shown up? Was that because you were in town?” 

Sans nodded. “And from the few days I spent exploring the place, I don’t really see the appeal but, whatever.” 

This time, Papyrus spoke in a tone that was far from proud of his brother’s behaviour. 

“Sans! Don’t be so mean!” 

“What? I gotta be honest. The few locals that haven’t left town due to the rumours that the whole place is haunted are paranoid whackos.” 

Charity frowned for a moment. It sounded as though Sans had spent way more time exploring the little town than she had. She had only ventured between her BnB and the place where she’d scattered the ashes. Although, she had quickly run into the local store to grab some supplies and did remember overhearing some people mention something about ‘another sighting.’ At the time, she had thought they were talking about bears. 

“And what makes the locals think that the town is haunted?” Charity asked, but from the contrasting body language of the two brothers, she had a sneaking suspicion it was to do with Sans, much to Papyrus’ disapproval. 

The shorter skeleton shrugged nonchalantly but the tone of his voice revealed a hint of smugness. 

“Dunno. Something about floating objects, blue anomalies and skeleton sightings in the woods.” 

Charity couldn’t help but laugh which prompted Papyrus to scold her for encouraging him. 

“Wait, so how long have you been terrorising the local community?” She asked after apologising to Papyrus, although she continued to smile. 

“This one or the one above?” He asked jokingly, sipping his coffee. 

She cocked her head and cast him a knowing look. 

“Well, I spent the best part of a year venturing up in the hopes your ma would show up.”

The smile quickly faded from Charity’s face. 

“I hadn’t quite found the right way to use magic to disguise myself as a human yet, so when the occasional human passed by and saw me, well, you can imagine how they reacted.” 

Her mind cast back to the way she had screamed upon seeing his skeletal face peering down at her in the cave. She frowned sadly at the memory. 

“Soon enough, the word got out that the forest was haunted. But that didn’t stop me trying to find any news of Clara. So, I widened my search to the town late at night. I was careful, but of course I was eventually spotted.”

His voice had gotten way more serious. Charity watched as he swirled the remains of his coffee in his cup. 

“When news got out that the demons in the forest had made their way into town, loads of people chose to move away. Lots of shops shut down, bars...I think even the local school too.” 

Charity tried to remember her trip to the BnB. She vaguely recalled seeing many boarded up shop windows and empty streets. She wondered why and how the BnB managed to stay open for business. When she asked this question aloud, Sans informed her that a lot of dark tourist, those who sought thrills and occasionally danger, often gravitated towards the supposed ‘ghost town.’ However, even those groups of people were few and far between. 

“Once I learned how to take on the form of a human with a little help from Alphys’ brainstorming, the ‘demon sightings’ dropped and many people forgot about this place. Anyway, I stopped searching for Clara after a year and I hadn’t been back since. Until you showed up.” 

Charity stared at him and part of her wonder whether or not it was appropriate to reach out and pat him on the hand. But it was Papyrus who was the first to react to Sans’ sudden shift of character. The taller skeleton threw his long arms around his brother and hugged him tightly. Charity refrained from wincing when she heard the loud crack of bones. 

“Don’t sound so grumpy, Sans! Charity is here now! You and Alphys can teach us all how to look like the humans and Charity can help us get jobs!” 

Charity cast them both a weak smile. Deep down, she did wonder whether the fact that the town lay mostly abandoned could potentially play to their advantage. All those empty shops and houses...

Before she could ponder the possibilities any longer however, there was a hard knock on the door. 

“Who’s there?” Sans called out. Papyrus had released him from his grasp. 

“Undyne!” 

“Undyne who?” 

Charity’s lip twitched. 

“Papyrus! Open up before I kick your brother’s-“ 

The last part of Undyne’s threat was lost beneath the sound of Papyrus’ chair scraping against the floor.

“Heh. So much for monsters not hurting monsters, huh?” 

She smiled at him, glad that he was no longing brooding. 

Once they were all prepared to make the journey to the barrier, Undyne informed them that Toriel would not be joining them. Charity cast a sideways glance as Sans but the skeleton didn’t seem to react to this news. So, the 5 of them set off into the snow, Undyne and Papyrus at the front of the group, taking long strides that Charity struggled to keep up with. In the end, she had to resort to trailing behind with Sans and Alphys.

She used this opportunity to speak a little more to the small, dinosaur-looking girl. 

“So Alphys, Sans tells me you helped him use magic to blend in with the humans?” 

Alphys seemed to shrink into herself with embarrassment. 

“Oh. W-well yes.” 

“What Charity means to say, Alphys...” Sans chimed in, “is ‘thank you for helping make my stalker so pleasing to the eye.’”

Alphys laughed nervously as Charity shot the skeleton a mild glare. He responded with a playful shrug. 

“You said I looked nice, remember?” 

Charity pursed her lips, “I meant you didn’t look like you were going to kill me.”

Another nervous laugh from Alphys. 

“You mean I didn’t look like a monster?” He continued. 

This time it was Charity’s to shrink with embarrassment. She remembered the way she had screamed and begged him not to hurt her. 

“I’m just messing with you, kid. Don’t look so blue. It’s a bad colour on you.” He gestured to the jacket he had lent her. A blue jacket...

Charity tried to frown but his sheer cheek made her giggle softly. 

_This guy..._

Alphys gently cleared her throat. 

“His initial research wasn’t too far off. I-I just tweaked a few things.” She stated, twisting at the front of the lab coat she wore. 

“Do you think you’d be able to teach the others to do the same sort of magic?” Charity asked suddenly. 

Alphys pushed her glasses up her nose. 

“I-I guess so? I suppose it’s quite a simple procedure once you know how it’s done.” 

Charity furrowed her brow at the use of the word ‘procedure.’ She began to imagine hospital beds and surgical equipment. 

“You just gotta concentrate real hard.” Sans said matter-of-factly. 

And, although Charity was sure there must be a little more to it than that, Sans, simplification was far more reassuring. 

The rest of the journey took them through even more bizarre scenery. And on the way, they had run in to a collection of more colourful monsters: A small, dinosaur boy that danced excitedly around Undyne, chirping about how cool she was, a troop of spiders that tried to sell Charity donuts, their leader, a skinny spider-like girl called Muffet demanded Charity ‘better pay-up with a name like hers!’ And one of the most bizarre creatures she had ever laid eyes on- a large, yellow onion/octopus hybrid everyone seemed to refer to as ‘Onionsan.’ 

As they walked, Charity had sketched each of the new characters she had met, as well as some of the odd things she found within the landscape such as glowing mushrooms and strange looking buildings. 

The journey also gave her more time to get to know the strange group of monsters escorting her back to the surface. 

Alphys, it turned out, was currently dating Undyne, something Charity had to admit she had not foreseen. Though, she did think they made a cute couple. They both shared a passion for anime and Charity thought back to one of her roommates who had posters depicting anime characters all over her side of the dorm. Alphys also informed her of one of her creations named Mettaton who was an apparent star amongst the monsters. She even got to listen to some of his music along the way. When they stopped for a break to eat some of the spider-donuts, Papyrus told a story about Asgore, the king of the monsters. It was during this conversation that Charity realised why Toriel had been reluctant to go into any detail about the politics below the surface. For she had been his wife. Her mother had been raised by the queen of the monsters...

She wondered if Sans had already told her all this yesterday as she cast a glance towards his slumped figure. It looked as though he was taking a nap.

Then again, considering she had only been down here two days and been bombarded with so much information, she didn’t go too hard on herself for not having taken it all in the first time around. And Papyrus was happy to share with her as many stories as he could. 

A few more of those stories and a couple of Mettaton’s best hits later, they had reached their final destination. 

“Well, here we are, kid.” 

Sans had lead them all for the last leg of the journey, having stated that he knew a shortcut. And now, after the two most bizarre days of her life, Charity stood staring out into the sunlight from the mouth of another cave. This one was far larger than the one she had fallen into and overlooked the valley from what Sans had mentioned was the other side of where her mother’s ashes had been spread. Papyrus has been even more overjoyed to see the sun that Charity was, exclaiming how he was going to fight it. Charity had laughed at this but the happiness she felt died down quite quickly as she turned to look at the group of monsters around her. Seeing them all in the sunlight had seemingly shook her out of the two day trance she had been in. They really were monsters. That is to say, something different, something a human would have trouble understanding upon first glance. Something other, therefore something scary? No, as she looked from the tall figures of Undyne and Papyrus, to the shorter Alphys and Sans, she didn’t feel a shred of fear. Instead, she felt that sudden surge of determination. Yes, she would help them.

Below them, in the valley, lay an abandoned town ready to be reclaimed by the very thing that had caused the humans to run. Although, first of all, she needed to get back home to her father to let him know she was safe and to ask him for a few favours. Yes, Charity had a plan and she was determined to see it through. 

“So what now?” She turned to see Sans at her side. At some point he had changed back into his human form. So it was a pretty simply feat after all. He followed her gaze into the valley below, the rest of the monsters chatting excitedly amongst themselves about how different the air smelt and how nice the sun felt, from somewhere behind them. She continued to think for a moment before turning to face him. She’d almost forgotten what he looked like as a human, having spent more time with him as a skeleton. His eyes were the same shade of blue as when he used his telekinesis- a far lighter shade than her own. Especially now, as they caught the bright sunlight that cascaded over the entire mountain side. The light wind whipped at his white fringe. Charity thought he looked rather glum now after having gotten used to the perpetual grin of his skeletal form. Then, when he turned to look at her and his lips pulled up to reveal those even, white teeth, she saw the same impish monster from the world below. 

“Well...” She began quickly, when she found herself staring, “I guess I gotta head back down this mountain side and find the nearest phone to call my dad. Then...” she turned back to look at the sleepy town in the distance, “I have a few things planned.” 

Sans chuckled. 

“Nice scheming face.” 

Just then, a heavy arm threw itself around her. 

“I guess this is goodbye for now, hey human?” said Undyne cheerily, giving her the same amicable shake she had done at Grillby’s. 

From behind them, Papyrus’ voice rang out in a whine. 

“But I thought we were going to go with her!” 

Charity turned to the tall skeleton and threw him a big smile. 

“You will, Papyrus! You all will, so long as you’re willing of course. But I just have a few things I need to do first!” 

As she said the words she realised how familiar they must sound to the group of monsters. Had her mother said something similar? Clara has promised she’d return after her honeymoon. They had been promised this once before. Is that why Toriel refused to join them? So she didn’t have to relive the scene again? Perhaps it wasn’t simply down to the fact that Sans’ face in human form couldn’t smile constantly that had been the reason Charity thought he looked glum. Maybe he too, had anticipated a repeat of what happened all those years ago. 

“I’ll come back for you all, I promise.”

Undyne and Alphys took the departure the easiest. They had both bid their goodbyes with sheepish hugs and firm slaps on the back before heading back into the deep cave to wait for Sans and Papyrus. The latter had held onto Charity like a bear would a tree. She had patted his back and repeated her promise over and over agin until he finally let go. 

“Now, you promise me you’ll visit Toriel and pass on my message for me, okay?” Charity had said. She tried not to get choked up. She had grown very fond of the tall, goofy skeleton. Her heart ached to see him so upset. But at her words, he puffed up his chest and straightened his spine. 

“Of course human- I mean Charity! I’ll pass on your message to every monster I see!” 

She smiled at him and drew herself up onto her tippy toes to kiss him on his cheek bone. This simple action seemed to be the last straw and shortly after she released him, after another wailing goodbye, he rushed into the cave with his head in his hands. 

Sans sighed. “I hate making promises,” he said gently, staring into the cave where Papyrus’ cries could still be heard above Undyne’s unsuccessful attempts to calm him. 

Charity hugged her arms. 

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking...” she muttered. 

“Oh you do, huh?” He replied, turning a smile on her. 

“I know you’re worried I won’t come back. Just like my mother.” 

His smiled wavered, but only for a second. 

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about what Grillby could have put in that drink ever since you drooled all over the table that night.” 

Charity laughed. 

“If all goes to plan and monsters do return to the surface, tell Grillby he can leave that recipe underground.” 

“Noted.” 

For a while they just stood, soaking in the sunshine. Undyne must have lead Alphys and a sobbing Papyrus back below because only birdsong and the rustle of leaves could now be heard. 

“Want me to walk you back into town?” Sans asked, breaking the silence that had formed between them. 

“I was hoping you’d ask,” she replied, smiling slightly. “You know? In case I fall down any more holes.” 

“Or need to get dunked on during a snowball fight,” he joked back. 

She cast a look down the sunlit mountain side. “I don’t think we’ll find snow here.” 

“You never know. I hear the forest is haunted.” 

He kept the jokes coming as they weaved their way back into town. Papyrus had told her that Sans did stand-up comedy and improv occasionally in a club back under ground and, as Charity dabbed away her tears of laughter, she could honestly admit she would buy a ticket to his show anytime. 

She felt her stomach drop a little as their path opened up onto a short road into town. She had hoped the walk would have taken a little longer. As they walked the last few steps before reaching a sign that pointed towards her BnB, Charity shrugged off the jacket she had borrowed for the past few days and handed it back to Sans. He shook his head, hands remaining in the pockets of the jacket he already wore. 

“Keep it. You can give it to me when you get back. Just make sure to wash it first.” 

She shoved him playfully in the shoulder and even with his hands in his pockets, he kept perfect balance. He grinned at her. 

“You’ll have to do better than that.” 

She rolled her eyes then, as a thought occurred to her, reached into her handbag. She pulled out her little sketchbook and held it out to him. 

“Well, if I’m keeping something, then you should too.” 

He eyed the small, leather bound book in her hands then took it from her slowly. She had caught him watching her draw on a few occasions, but he had never made any real comment about it. 

“That sketchbook is one of my most cherished possessions. My mother left it for me. I never got around to using it until a few days ago.” 

She watched as Sans flipped randomly through the pages and was happy to see him smile at what he saw there.

“You can keep it until I come back for it. And I promise you I’ll come back for it.” 

She hadn’t forgotten that Sans had previously mentioned how he disliked making promises. But, as he looked back up at her face, she saw what looked like hope residing in his eyes. 

“Sure thing.” 

The next few moments passed awkwardly and Charity found herself rocking backwards and forwards on her heels as Sans made no show of moving. 

“Well, I should head in and ask to use the phone I suppose,” she said with a nod towards the BnB in the distance. 

“Okay, well I’m gonna head back- make sure Papyrus is alright.”

Another awkward silence. Nobody moved. 

“Sans, I...” she cast her eyes down at her boots. Those boots had taken her so far in these last few days.

“I will come back.”

She tried to sound as determined as she could, the feeling bubbling gently inside her. 

“I know.” 

Heaving a breath, she stepped towards him, her arms automatically reaching out to curl around his neck. She held him tightly against her as his chin rested lightly on her shoulder, tilted upwards slightly due the slight height difference. When she tuned her head to kiss him on the cheek, she hadn’t had to step on her tiptoes. And, unlike Papyrus’ hard cheekbone, Sans felt soft against her lips. Whatever strange magic this was, he had cast it extremely well. His hand rubbed gently at the small of her back and, for the second time in the last hour, his words made her cry. 

“See you soon, Charity.”


	7. Me To You

Her father had picked up the phone after the first ring. And, although he had tried to mask the worry in his voice, Charity could tell he was eager to have her back home. She imagined he’d been quite lonely without her in the house. 

On the train journey home, she toiled over the best way to convey all that she had learned to her father. There was so much to tell him and all of it was utterly unbelievable. She feared that if she said too much too soon, he would suspect that she had had some sort of mental breakdown during her trip. She figured it was best to leave the ‘mother was raised by monsters’ part out of the equation. Instead, as she and her father sat at the dinner table later that night, she spoke of how she had met some of her mother’s old friends and that, upon meeting Charity, they had offered her work in the local book store. The book store in question had caught her eye as she was hauling her suitcase down the quiet street to the station, clutching Sans’ jacket to her sadly. It was a rundown little store with an ad for work taped to the dusty shop window. This would be the first part of her plan. 

She knew it was unlikely that she would be able to have all the monsters resurface in one go. But, in time, she knew that the small town she had left behind was in need of a new school, bar and other such amenities. And she knew a whole bunch of characters that could fill those needs...

“So what’s your plan then?” Her dad asked her as they cleared the table. 

They had had many of these talks before- about Charity’s future now that she had graduated. She had never know how to respond to this topic in the past, but now she was able to say, 

“Well, I suppose if I did accept their position at the book store...” she closed the cupboard door she had just returned the plates to, “I have enough savings to get a place of my own. The town has a lot of cheap places going...” 

Her father hummed a thought. “Yes...while you were away, I researched the place a bit. Did you know they reckon the whole town is haunted by demons?”

Charity hid the smile that dashed her features. She imagined Sans chuckling to himself as he watched a group of locals running from the forest in terror. 

“I reckon that’s why housing is so cheap.” He father continued. 

Charity turned on him. “It’s just an urban legend, Dad. The place is quite charming.”

She watched her dad’s features crumple into a look of uncertainty. He had probably seen images on the town on the internet during his research and well, she couldn’t blame him for not believing her description. But, when he finally spoke after watching her for a moment, she was thankful for his loving support. 

“Well, you’re old enough to make your own decisions. I reckon your mother would be so pleased to hear you’ll be living in her local town. She always spoke so fondly about the place she had grown up.” 

Charity reckoned her mother hadn’t mentioned that that place had been beneath the town, not within it. 

“Just stay safe, okay?” 

It had taken a good part of a month to get everything sorted for the move. Her Dad had helped her find an apartment to rent in the town centre, only a short walk away from the book store. The store owner couldn’t believe her luck when Charity had walked in and asked for a position at her shop. The little old lady had told her that her eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to be and that she had been having trouble arranging the shelves. Cataracts, as well as arthritis, had made categorising and restocking her books quite the task. Charity got the job right then and there. Rent was cheap enough. Her father had insisted he pay the first few months off so that Charity could focus on getting settled in- something that seemed to happen quite naturally. Many of the locals were happy to see a fresh, youthful face and, much to her relief, welcomed her warmly. 

It had only taken a few trips in her Dad’s van to move all her stuff into her new place- a small, two bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor. She was the only occupant in the entire building- the landlord lived on the outskirts of town. It was the same person who owned the BnB she had stayed in. He was a stubborn man who had refused to take note of all the rumours of hauntings and ghouls. He had told her that his family had lived in that town for 5 generations and that he sure as hell wasn’t going to be chased out of town by some ghost story. She had decided quite early on that she liked him. 

Working at the bookstore was a cinch, barely anyone came in except for a few elderly locals who depended on the small collections of novels and text books for entertainment since most of the bars and restaurants had closed down. The little old lady, Edith, often left Charity to tend to the store alone leaving her to peruse the shelves as she pleased. She sneaked a peak at the archives to see if there was any information about monsters. She hadn’t found anything yet. 

After her first week living in the sleepy town, she finally had the time to take the hike back up to her mother’s resting place. Early Saturday morning, she hastily fed, washed and dressed herself. She took her time when it came to packing her things however, then, once she had doubled checked she had everything, rushed into the bright, early morning sun. 

The walk through the trees felt longer than usual, despite her eager pace. She carried her handbag, filled with the usual bottle of bear-repellent and her mobile phone and minus her sketchbook. In its stead was Sans’ jacket, washed and neatly folded amongst her belongings. She also carried another bag, filled with items she had gathered especially for this occasion. Despite the extra baggage, Charity felt light on her feet as her trusty boots took her up the valley. 

This time, she didn’t even have to call out his name. As soon as she crested the hill, there, sat on the same stump she had done when he had first told her about her mother’s mysterious upbringing, was Sans. He was in his human form and wore his usual attire, apart from his usual blue jacket that was still nestled in Charity’s handbag. He was still wearing those ridiculous slippers. 

His wide grin was contagious. Dropping her bags, she rushed towards him, almost knocking him over with her hug as her body collided a little too roughly against his. His balance was quite remarkable for someone who’s hands barely left their pockets. Although now, his hands were at her back as he returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. She smelt pine and fresh moss. 

“I told you I’d be back,” she grinned, her cheek pressed against his temple. She figured he was probably only around 5f5 to her 5f8. She mentally noted how adorable that was. And when she finally pulled back enough to take a good look at him, she realised just how much she’d missed his dimpled face and light eyes. He had leaves in his messy, white hair which she instinctively began to pluck out as she pondered just how long he had been sat there. Or perhaps he had taken one of his trademark naps on the forest floor. 

“Welcome back, kid” he replied as she removed the last traces of leaves from his hair. 

“Oh, I’d taken a lie down,” he explained, ruffling his now leafless hair with a hand. He kept his other placed gently on her waist. 

“I suspected as much,” she laughed. 

There had been some nights during the moving process where Charity had lain awake and wondered if what she had experienced back in the cave was real. As the days had gone on, she feared that she had simply imagined it all and that she was doing all this for nothing. But, as she held onto the smiling Sans beneath the tall canopy, she felt a wave of almost euphoric relief wash over her as easily as the breeze that gently lifted her long skirt. 

“You look well,” he commented casually, releasing her and taking a step back to look at her. 

She grinned and dipped into a theatrical curtsy. 

“Why, thank you!” 

He pushed his hands into his pockets.

“Aren’t you supposed to return the compliment?” he teased. 

She cast him a playful look as she turned on a heel to return to the bags she had discarded upon seeing him. 

He watched her quietly as she rummaged around in her bags, pulling out two separate items. She handed him the first- his blue jacket. 

“Washed, as requested.” 

Sans chuckled as he took it from her. As he shrugged it back on, Charity held out the second item- a rectangular box. 

Sans cocked an eyebrow at her, “what’s this?” He took it from her with a puzzled frown. 

“Well, I just figured that if we’re really going to do this, you’ll probably need these to truly blend in. Regardless of how- how did you put it...”

She paused, smirking a little at him, “ _pleasing to the eye_ your human form is.” 

Sans grunted a laugh then, as Charity watched on, opened the box. Upon seeing its contents, his face split into a lazy grin. 

“Heh. Kid, you shouldn’t have.”


	8. Set In Motion

She had been pleased to see that they were his size. She had asked Papyrus one night before she returned to the surface what he’d thought it was. He had admitted that he wasn’t 100% sure, but his guess had been accurate. 

As they walked the path to Snowdin, taking one of Sans special shortcuts, Charity had smiled at his remark that, although nothing could beat the comfort of his pink slippers, the new blue and white sneakers Charity had bought him were a close second. 

He had returned to his monster form upon entering Snowdin. This time, she had seen him transform. It was a strange sight that made Charity shy away slightly, feeling as though she had just witnessed something quite intimate. Though, upon further reflection, disregarded the sentiment. The transformation wasn’t anything gruesome or grotesque- his human body had simply dissolved, for lack of a better word, back into his skeletal form. Perhaps it was just because it had caught Charity off guard that had made her feel so awkward. This time round, however, she hadn’t screamed in fear as he turned his eyeless sockets to her. 

“You ready?” He asked. 

Though the form of his skull made it look like he was pulling a constant, wide grin, the tone of his voice was that of someone who was undeniably beaming. 

“Of course!” She replied, no longer able to contain her excitement. 

He pushed open the door to Grillby’s and as Sans stepped aside to let her enter the wood-cladded bar, much to Charity’s delight, she was instantly greeted with a roaring “human!” 

“Papyrus!” 

She rushed towards the taller skeleton and embraced him, not even flinching at the sight of the enormous toothy plant as she passed its table. 

“Human!” He repeated, this time his voice thick with emotion. His hug had lifted her off of her feet.

When he finally put her down, she reached up to cup his cheekbones. 

“It’s so good to see you again!” 

It didn’t take long for word to get out that Charity was back among the monsters. Undyne had stated that she had never seen Grillby’s so full and Papyrus had declared proudly that it was thanks to his hard work spreading Charity’s parting message that had made it so. Dozens of monsters had gathered to hear about her plan to help them find new lives on the surface. Charity had heard a few of them compliment Sans’ new shoes. One of them being Toriel. 

The cow-lady had spent a good part of an hour apologising for not attending Charity’s escort back to the surface. It was as Charity had suspected- she hadn’t wanted to go through the pain of another farewell. They had hugged each other and all was well again until Sans offered to buy Charity a drink. She had squinted at him suspiciously and politely declined. She wasn’t going to risk drooling in front of everyone as they bombarded her with questions about the surface. And when she had told him this, he had shrugged and politely responded with “that was never my intention.” Although the mischievous tone of his voice said otherwise. 

Once everyone had settled down, she began to explain the bare foundations of her plan. She told them that she now resided in the town above and had a job there. Papyrus had praised her resolve loudly. She thanked him and carried on to explain that, although she was pleased to see so many of them hoping for a chance at a new beginning, that it was simply something that couldn’t be rushed. She told them about the partly abandoned town, leaving out the part about Sans having been the one to scare most of the habitants off, and how with a little bit of help they could start moving in and building a new life for themselves. 

“There’s an empty bar, restaurants, stores and cafes...” She chanced a look at Toriel, “even a school.” She took a deep breath. 

“But the human world has certain rules. Those of you who wish to visibly live among the humans will all require some form of human identification. You’ll have to learn to look like them and possess the right paper work.” She sighed. She didn’t know how they were going to pull this off...

“Have no fear, human!” chimed Papyrus upon seeing her face fall into a frown as she thought about this. “Alphys and Sans have managed to create documents for everyone! They look just like the ones you all carry around in your bags and wallets.”

She turned to peer at Alphys. “Really?”

The little dinosaur shrank sheepishly.

“It really wasn’t too difficult to imitate the paper work required in your world. While you were away, w-we all took the time to research new personas and learn how to use the magic t-to transform.” 

Charity’s brows shot upwards. 

“Really? You mean you can all transform like Sans can?” 

Papyrus cried gleefully. “Indeed! Undyne looks even more terrifying!” 

Somehow, Charity doubted that very much. 

Another deep breath. “Well okay then. That really helps. Thank you Alphys. You’re amazing!” 

Alphys has shrunken so much now that only half of her face was visible from beneath the collar of her lab coat. 

“S-Sans helped a lot,” she muttered. 

The skeleton in question seemed to be taking another nap. Though he had no eyes to close, his head lolled against his chest idly. 

“Still, despite all your hard work, this will only work if we do this gradually. There’s also the problem of money...”

Although she came from a wealthy background, Charity really didn’t want to ask any more from her father. He had already helped towards three months worth of rent. 

This time it was the dainty spider-girl called Muffet that spoke up. 

“Perhaps we can be of assistance!”

By ‘we’ Charity suspected she meant her and her fellow spiders. 

“Over the years, we have managed to gather quite the amount of funds thanks to our bake sales and stalls!”

Charity didn’t have the heart to tell her that the currency below ground was not the same as the one above. Didn’t have the heart or didn’t have the guts? She had always had a slight fear of spiders. But Muffet continued, speaking in her high, girlish voice that was both eerie and adorable. 

“Alphys devised a machine that can turn our coins into human money! It’s quite remarkable.”

It sure was. Remarkable and helpful. Then again, Charity thought, Alphys had created a sentient robot that had gone on to be a celebrity so...

“Once again, you truly are amazing Alphys!”

Undyne reached around and pulled the bashful reptile into a one-armed hug. 

“She sure is!”

Toriel placed a gentle hand on Charity’s shoulder. 

“Child, don’t fret. We have all waited down here in the dark for this long, we are more than happy to endure a little longer.” 

“No pressure,” came Sans’ voice from towards the back of the bar. He was tucking into a plate of heavily ketchupped fries. Charity suppressed the urge to grimace at the sight. But not from the sight of the plate, but from the weight of the responsibility that came from what she was planning. 

“Human!” Papyrus yelled, his chair scraping as he pushed to his feet, “together, we can do this!” 

The chorus of shared agreement that followed filled her with determination. 

That night, she found herself once again curled up on the green couch in the brothers’ living room. This time, she had prepared and brought an extra blanket and pillow. Although, after she had given Papyrus his gift from the surface, he had offered to let her stay in his room while he stayed on the couch. 

The race car bed hadn’t appealed to her. 

His gift had been a selection of human clothes. Unlike his brother, Papyrus’ attire was lacking in inconspicuousness. If he wanted to blend in on the surface, he would at-least need to wear a t-shirt and longer pants. There were some more options in the bag for Sans too. 

Before they had all turned in for the night she had told them that, if they were willing, they could be the first to come to the surface with her. She told them about her spare room and about the fact that she had placed a deposit down on the old, abandoned bar in town. It had eaten up most of her savings but she knew that if they were to begin restoring the town above and regaining the favour of the locals, that giving them back a place to socialise was the best start. Rather sheepishly, she had suggested they could help her restore it to working order and eventually work there. She remembered how she had told herself she would buy a ticket to one of Sans’ stand-up comedy shows in a heartbeat and wondered about potentially hosting one in the new bar at some point. All in due time, of course. Sans also knew his way around a bar well enough to hold the fort until Grillby found a replacement for his establishment in Snowdin. The flaming barman had mentioned how he was eager to learn some human cocktail recipes and that he had always wanted to expand his business. Muffet also told Charity that she and the spiders were working hard to keep making money for Alphys’ machine. Once they had enough, there was potential to start investing in all the other abandoned businesses. 

All of this, as well as his new outfits, had gotten Papyrus very excited. He had stood proudly by the couch and declared that he would happily help her carry out any task she set him. When she looked to Sans, he simply stated that ‘what was the harm in taking up another job.’ 

So, on the following day, after watching the brothers pack the few belongings they wished to take to the surface (one of which was the pet rock) and bidding the other monsters a warm ‘goodbye for now,’ they set off for the surface. 

Upon noticing the nervous twitch Papyrus had now seemed to develop as they drew closer to the cave entrance, Charity reminded them that they were free to come and go as they pleased. 

“Just...just be careful no humans follow you though, okay?” 

And then they were over looking the valley, Charity and a human Sans both blinking in the sunlight. 

“Ready, bro?” Sans said as he turned towards his brother. 

Papyrus was already wearing his new, more surface-suitable clothing. He had kept his red scarf though. Charity thought the ensemble was charming. 

“Just like we practised.” 

And, as she watched Papyrus transform, albeit a little slower than his brother had done, Charity couldn’t help the surprised look that took hold of her features.


	9. All The Pastabilities

Papyrus stood before them with his shoulders bunched in timid apprehension. 

“Well? Do I pass as a human?” 

For some reason, Charity had never thought to ask who was the older sibling and, despite his obvious naïveté and occasional child-like outbursts, she had always considered Papyrus to be the eldest brother purely down to the fact that he towered over Sans. She guessed he was at least 6f3. However, as he eyed her nervously, fiddling with the collar of his too tight t-shirt now that he was no longer all bones, she instantly realised her mistake. 

Papyrus’ human form looked no older than 18 whereas Sans had always looked in his early 20s. Papyrus’ new body was lean and muscular with sunshine blond hair, his kind brown eyes noticeably bright in the sunlight. Overall, he emitted a soft warmth that contrasted with his older brother’s more frostier features. 

“Wow, Pappy! You look great!” chimed Charity, still a little stunned by his appearance. But what had she expected? She wondered if she was going to be this shocked by all of the other transformations. 

_Most probably_...

She remembered how Papyrus had stated that Undyne was even more scary as a human. But, as she continued to scan the classically handsome Papyrus with shamelessly curious eyes, she once again doubted their magic could perform such a feat. 

“But maybe we should up your t-shirt size?” The fabric looked fit to burst. She could hear Sans chuckling quietly behind her and considered cracking a joke about his height in Papyrus’ defence. Before she could do so however, Papyrus’ arms had lifted into a flexing pose that made her want to part blush, part laugh. 

“No way! I totally look like those cool dudes in Alphys’ discarded book pile!” He struck another pose and this time she couldn’t hold back her laughter. 

“I always wondered why she never liked those books...” he added innocently. 

“Cuz they weren’t dressed like warrior princesses, buddy,” replied Sans with a smirk. 

“Well, so long as your comfortable,” finished Charity. 

Another pose. Another laugh. 

“C’mon, we should get going.” 

The trip back down to the town she and the two brothers would now call home, took barely 10 minutes thanks to another one of Sans’ shortcuts. She couldn’t quite get her head around how they had simply followed him down one path and immediately emerged on a main road into town. She suspected it had something to do with magic but still... _bizarre_. 

“Why didn’t we used one of your short cuts when you walked me back the last time?” She asked him as they turned on to the quiet high-street. That trip had taken almost an hour of solid walking, though it had felt like only 15 minutes thanks to Sans’ running comedy act. He turned to her with a shrug of his shoulder. 

“You were a good audience.” 

As they walked through the sleepy streets, Papyrus had stopped to gawk at all the odd, human things they passed along the way making the short walk to Charity’s apartment take twice as long. However, she didn’t mind, for what the tall teen gaped at the most was the sky and the clouds, planes and birds that flitted across it. Never having spent more than an hour on the surface, unlike his older brother, the misty-eyed younger sibling couldn’t get enough of the vast expanse of blue above them. 

When they finally did reach the front door to her apartment on the 2nd floor she turned to them.

“So, until I speak to my landlord about getting you two your own place in this building, you can stay in my spare room, ‘kay?” 

They nodded, Sans smiling his lazy smile while Papyrus beamed with enthusiasm. Why was she so nervous? She had had male roommates before, some she had known for even less time than the two monsters that stood behind her. But that was the reason right there- they were monsters. Monsters using magic to blend into the human world...

 _This whole plan is nuts_. 

“Hurry Human! I can’t wait to see our room!” Papyrus almost squealed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

She unlocked her door and pushed into the small hallway. Her apartment was a reasonable size. The landlord, Graham, had given her the biggest apartment since the whole building was empty. It was certainly bigger than the small cabin the brothers shared back in Snowdin. 

The spare bedroom was larger than her own, she had anticipated that she would have to put up some of the monsters during their integration. It was lightly furnished with two single beds and plenty of sunlight, something she imagined Papyrus would appreciate even more so than her. A desk occupied one corner of the room and a small side table, filled with a selection of books Charity had brought from work, was nestled between the beds. It soon became the home of the pet rock. 

It hadn’t taken them long to settle in. Papyrus had praised her tidiness, Sans has fallen asleep on the couch. 

Together, she and the taller sibling made dinner. She taught him one of the pasta recipes they served at her dad’s restaurant and he had been blown away by the newly acquired knowledge. During dinner, after Sans had finally woken up, Papyrus had equally surprised her with the knowledge that his older brother liked to bake. She didn’t know why she found it so amusing. But perhaps not as amusing as the look of sheer delight on his face as she slapped an enormous bottle of ketchup in front of him. She imagined the look of horror on her father’s face if he were to see the amount Sans poured onto his most cherished recipe. Which reminded her, she hadn’t yet told her father that she would be living with two, new roommates for the next few weeks, maybe months. And that those two, new roommates were both male. 

_And both monsters._

Despite hating the thought of not being forthcoming with him, she decided that she would keep the information to herself for now. And what with him being so busy with work, there was very little chance he would just show up at her front door. She hoped, anyway. 

Speaking of work, as they all settled down in front of the T.V, Papyrus flicking eagerly through the strange human channels after having eaten 3 large bowls of pasta and Sans unsurprisingly dosing off again, she reminded them that she would be returning to the book store the following day. 

“So...” She began as Sans creaked open his eyes, “you can either come and spend the day with me there, or I can show you to the new bar we’ll be restoring, or since it’s your first day here you could explore the town and maybe introduce yourselves to the locals.” She cast a knowing glance at Sans- a look that reminded him that he and his brother should behave accordingly. 

_No terrorising them._

Sans gave her a sleepy smirk. 

Papyrus stroked his smooth but angular jaw in thought. 

“Perhaps a mix of the three. I’m sure we’ll be able to manage our time well between the three of us with a bit of hard work!” 

Sans grunted softly. 

“That means you too, lazy bones!” 

Charity glanced at her watch, then to the window. There were a few last things she wanted them to see before they turned in for the night.

“C’mon you two!” She chirped merrily, hopping to her feet and clapping her hands once. 

“There’s something I want to show you.” 

Now it was Charity’s turn to share a secret little route of her own. She informed them that, as she lead them up to the very top floor of the building, there was a door that lead to the roof. She told them they could use it anytime. The lock seemed to have broken and she hadn’t yet told Graham her landlord about it due to the fact that it had the perfect view of the town, the park, the hills, the forest. She had spent a few evenings up there with a book already. 

And this was the perfect time to show them. If Papyrus had been awed by the sky during the day, she couldn’t wait to show him the setting sun and the bright stars that followed as day slipped into night. 

The three of them sat in a close line upon a blanket she had brought with her, Sans in the middle with Charity and his brother at either side, as they all peered out at the burning horizon. Papyrus was stunned and had asked if this happened to the sky every night. It was Sans who told him ‘yes, but each sunset was different from the last.’ This made Charity wonder how many sunsets Sans had watched alone as he sat on that cliff top her mother had written about. And, as the first of the night’s stars began to appear, she turned to ask him why monsters had never ventured to surface to at least take a peak at the sky. 

“Too much of a risk for such a small thing,” Sans had shrugged. 

“But you’ve done it multiple times,” she frowned, glancing a look at his younger brother who’s expression was that of someone who did not consider the night sky a ‘small thing.’ He was gazing open-mouthed at the forming constellations and crescent moon. Sans had had to explain that the moon was a separate thing to the Sun. Papyrus had been too bewildered by the revelation to mention whether or not he’d try and fight it too. 

“Well, not everyone is blessed with my knack for shortcuts. They make for great escape routes if any humans show up,” Sans had continued in regards to Charity’s earlier question. 

“But you can lead people through them though.” Charity pointed out, thinking back to the multiple times he’d lead her and the other monsters down a seemingly dead-end route only to be spat out right near their destination. 

She cast another look to Papyrus who was now on his feet a few meters away, his hands stretched skyward as if he were trying to scrape his fingertips over Orion’s Belt, babbling excitedly to himself all the while. 

Sans nodded slowly. “True but...” 

He paused to watch his younger brother jump upwards, trying to shorten the distance between himself and the sky. It made both he and Charity smile affectionately. 

“I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to any of them. Too much of a risk.” 

Charity felt her stomach lurch and in a small voice she asked, “so why are you here?” 

He let out a long sigh. 

“Well, things are different now. You’re here.” 

The statement didn’t make Charity feel any better. 

“How does that change anything?” She asked, turning her eyes away from Papyrus to look at Sans. She was briefly startled by the fact he was already focusing his light eyes on her. They were sat close enough together that their legs were touching. She shifted away slightly. But not before she caught the moon reflected in his eyes. 

“Coz now we have you, we have hope.” 

She considered it for a moment, trying to make sense of what that was supposed to mean. Sure, she could offer them some help and encouragement but that still didn’t omit the dangers that came with the change. Her face must have revealed her thoughts because Sans immediately started laughing. 

“Urgh, you are so lame,” she groaned, shoving his shoulder with her own. He had been toying with her all along. 

“What? I thought that was a fitting statement to match the setting,” he gestured around at the scene that surrounded them- a vast starry sky, bright crescent moon, light summer breeze.

“Dear Charity- the bringer of hope!” He winked at her.

“You trying to woo me, Sans?” 

“I was going to ask you the same question,” he grinned. “You’re the one that brought me up here in the first place.” 

Charity scoffed. “I brought your brother too!” 

“Shameless,” he replied in mock disgust. 

“Who’s shameless?” called Papyrus, who had given up his attempts to try and touch the stars. 

“Charity is.” 

The younger brother plopped back down onto the blanket beside Sans who sidled back up to Charity to make room. 

“For doing what?” Papyrus asked, his brow creased. 

Charity waved a dismissive hand. “Your brother is just messing with us,” she informed, ignoring Sans’ sly murmur of ‘speak for yourself.’ 

“I was just asking him why monsters hadn’t tried to at least visit the surface occasionally, you know, to watch the sunset of whatever.” 

Papyrus looked serious for a moment then replied, “Sans tried to encourage a few people to head out and search for Clara when she’d disappeared.” His brother’s face had adopted an equally somber expression. 

“A few of us tried but, well, the town was still quite full back then and we were spotted. We barely made it back.”

Charity breathed a sad, heavy sigh. 

“So we decided that only one of us should look for her from then on. Sans was the best suited to the job and there weren’t many people who wanted to volunteer after what happened anyway.” 

Papyrus suddenly looked utterly forlorn. It made Charity’s heart sink. She knew that he was most likely disappointed in himself for not being able to help continue the search with his brother. Perhaps he had been one of those who had been too scared to resurface. Despite his bravado and outer confidence, she had figured early on that he was still quite vulnerable to certain realities. 

“As you know, I went out a few times on my own then eventually decided it was no use.” Sans said this in a matter-of-fact kind of way, but Charity saw sadness flash in his eyes. 

“We had lost hope and decided it was maybe just the way things had to be. Monsters below and the humans above.” Papyrus added. There was that word again- ‘hope.’ 

“Then you came along!” He called, returning to his eager, happy self. 

“And with you, comes a new hope!”

Sans grinned, turning to her. 

“Told ya.” 

She smiled weakly, feeling both flattered and fatigued by the weight of responsibility that had clambered back onto her shoulders. 

_Stay determined_. 

“No pressure, right?” She replied quietly, repeating what Sans had said to her back at Grillby’s. 

“No pressure,” he answered. 

“No problem!” Papyrus cried. 

It was now time to turn in for the night. The brothers let Charity use the bathroom first while they got sorted in their room. Then, after coming up with a very loose plan for tomorrow and bidding each other goodnight, settled down for their first night together in the human world.


	10. The Big One Oh

When she awoke the next morning, she was surprised to see both brothers up and dressed in the living room. Well, sort of considering Sans was once again dosing on the couch wearing his pink slippers- all their other shoes were lined neatly by the door. Papyrus had apologised for not asking for her permission to use the coffee pot, but had said that he didn’t want to wake her. She reminded him that this was their home now too and that they could treat it that way. The younger sibling had whispered to her that she shouldn’t tell Sans that because his brother had a habit of leaving pranks and boobytraps around their old house. She thought she’d heard Sans chuckle at the remark but, as she looked over, he still looked fast asleep. She squinted her eyes in his direction and took note to check certain places around the apartment before interacting with them. The grotesque sound of a loud fart sounded as she had dropped onto the sofa next to him. The whoopie cushion was promptly used as a projectile as the sound of laughter rang out through the apartment. 

Once she’d had her coffee and prodded the older brother awake again, the three of them headed for the book store. Usually, Edith the store owner, would only pop in occasionally during mid week. Yet, to Charity’s slight apprehension, the poor-sighted old lady had already opened up shop and was seated at the counter. She greeted Charity warmly before casting her bleary eyes at the two figures that had followed her inside. 

“Customers this early?” She croaked. 

Charity took a deep breath then cleared her throat. 

“Erm, well actually Edith...” she shot a look from Sans to Papyrus. 

“These are my friends.” She swallowed nervously. This would be the first time the two monsters would interact with a human who was completely oblivious to their true identities. 

She heard Papyrus exhale through his nose and wondered whether it was nervousness or excitement that caused him to sway slightly. 

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” 

Charity turned to look as Sans who was as relaxed and laid back as ever. Following his older brother’s lead Papyrus continued with a little less casual greeting of, “yes! A good morning to you!” 

Charity was thankful he hadn’t added the word ‘human’ to the end of that sentence. 

Edith, it turned out was thrilled to have such ‘young and handsome boys’ visiting her shop and told Charity that she could bring them anytime. The whole ordeal had gone quite smoothly except for perhaps their introductions. 

Though the monsters had told her that they’d all come up with new personas for their human identities, Charity had forgotten to check whether or not they’d be passable. So when Edith had turned to the brothers and asked their names, she had panicked a little. But when both the brothers had simply responded with their real names followed by the surname ‘Gaster,’ Edith had simply replied with, “ooo, very exotic. Kids these days all have such strange names.” 

When Edith finally left Charity to man the shop by herself however, she turned to them with a quizzical look. 

“Gaster? That your real name?” 

“I guess it is.” 

She hasn’t pressed the matter further. 

The morning had passed by quickly, Sans had helped Charity stack shelves from his seat at the counter with the help of Telekinesis, much to Papyrus’ disapproval. 

“What if a human sees you?” 

Although she did agree with Papyrus, she was secretly thankful for the help as it made the tedious work go by way faster. With little else to do now that the sorting has been done, they sat and ate their homemade lunch and discussed plans for the bar. The place needed a good dose of TLC. Luckily for them, it hadn’t really fallen in to too much disrepair over the years it had lain empty. After a good clean, it would need a lick of paint and a change of lighting. As they tucked into their sandwiches, Charity suggested that Papyrus could work as a chef, and Sans could work the occasional evening as entertainment. Both brothers seemed to like the idea. Particularly Papyrus, who was overjoyed at the thought of cooking for lots of people. 

She admitted she hadn’t the slightest idea how to run a bar, but that’s where Grillby came in. She hoped he’d find a replacement bartender for his place back in Snowdin before the restoration work was finished so that he could take over ASAP. He had promised to pay her back for any expenses. 

Once lunch was over, Papyrus was so eager to make a start, she had handed him the keys to the bar so that he and Sans could go check the place out. She didn’t see them again until later that evening as she closed up shop. They were both covered in dust. Sans looked dead on his feet. She made a mental note to try and use that pun at some point. 

“We made a start at clearing the place!” Declared Papyrus happily as he older brother dusted the cobwebs from his hair. 

And as easy as that the routine went on. They would spend their mornings together discussing possible ventures for the others monsters, speaking to Edith and eating lunch at the book store, then the brothers would go off to work on the bar. On weekends, they would spend time gathering supplies for both the apartment and the bar renovations. Occasionally, Charity would take them them to visit new places. Papyrus had almost lost his mind at the sight of the ocean. They couldn’t spend too long at the beach however, as a summer storm had struck the coast suddenly. She told them they’d have to visit again once Undyne and Alphys had moved to the surface. They had spent the trip back home trying to explain to Papyrus how storms worked. She noted how well versed Sans’ was will all things scientific- she’d even caught him reading textbooks back at the book store. 

Sometimes, they would head back underground to share any developments with the other, eagerly awaiting monsters. As promised, Grillby had paid her back in full all thanks to Alphys’ machine. 

One day, as they tucked into a burger and fries at the bar in Snowdin, Grillby had leaned over to Charity to tell her that he was ready to go when she was. 

“Coming on a bit strong there, dude.” Sans joked as he added another generous dose of ketchup to his plate. 

“I meant I’ve found someone to take over this place,” he retorted, snatching the bottle of sauce from him. 

“Really, who?” 

Turns out Grillby had been training up his daughter who had always shown an interest in learning the family business. It made Charity think about her own father. She would probably have to call him soon. The last time they’d spoken he had suggested coming to visit one weekend. She had told him that she had made plans but would let him know when the best time for him to come up was. She still hadn’t told him about her new roomies. 

Living with the _skelebros_ , a term she’d heard Sans use _,_ had been great all around. They made her laugh every night, especially as they gathered in the small kitchen to make dinner. It was mainly her and Papyrus that did most of the cooking while Sans called culinary related puns from the other room. But once or twice a week, she would come home from the book store to find the older brother baking a pie for dessert while Papyrus tidied up around him. From time to time, they’d be in their monster forms, having mentioned that they’d sometimes transform back unconsciously while they slept. The only time that had caused any issue was when she’d opened her bedroom door late one night and bumped into a drowsy Papyrus in the dark hallway. He had towered over her, his pale skeletal face glowing in the low light. She’d screamed in shock, dropping her glass of water onto the wood floor. Sans had poked his equally skeletal head into the hallway and, after seeing what had happened, used his telekinesis to help clean up the sharp bits of glass. Still in shock from the jump scare, Charity had turned away from the eerie sight of Sans’ blue iris glowing in the gloom. Papyrus had apologised profusely over and over again the next morning but she assured him it wasn’t his fault. She had cooked a huge meal of tagliatelle to cheer him up. Some nights she would sneak a glance at them both as the they chilled in the living room and mentally chuckled at how surreal it was to just be hanging out with two skeletons. 

One Saturday night in particular, after learning that Sans’ ketchup addiction went as far as him drinking it on occasion, she had introduced Sans to a Bloody Mary. After his first sip, he had scrunched up his nose. But after adding an extra dose of ketchup to the recipe, it had immediately gained his approval. She had opted for pina coladas instead. Papyrus had told her that he was never keen on alcohol as he preferred to keep his body in tip top condition but he thoroughly enjoyed making the cocktails for them once she taught him how.

After having to listen to Charity’s and Sans’ puns grow worse and worse with every drink however, he eventually declared he was going to bed. Though his voice suggested frustration towards their raucous behaviour, the turn of his lips and the gentle shake of his head betrayed his mild amusement. 

The door to the living room closed to another round of tipsy laughter as Papyrus left them to their terrible jokes. Outside was raining hard. The three of them had spent the whole day adding the finishing touches to Grillby’s new bar. News had gotten out that there was to be a reopening soon and the locals frequently approached them whenever they could to ask about it. They told them it would be another week, as the new manager was still preparing for his relocation. Grillby had told them how he was both proud but nervous about handing his bar over to his daughter. 

It had been over two months since Charity had last seen her dad. And although she missed him dearly, the paranoia about how he would react to everything kept her from setting a date for him to visit. Working between the book store and the bar preparations had kept her from visiting him too.

Sans had noticed her sudden lapse into silence. He prodded her with his foot from the other side of the couch, rousing her from her thoughts. 

“You okay?” He asked. He was still in his human form but there was a certain darkness around his eyes and cheekbones that made Charity wonder if the alcohol had caused his magic to wear off a bit. She was equally too woozy point this out to him. 

“Yeah I’m fine. I was just thinking about my dad.” She took another sip of her drink. “I should really let him visit.” 

“You should,” he responded simply, draining the last of his glass and placing it on the coffee table. 

“Papyrus and I can always chill at the bar while he’s visiting. We can even stay someplace else for a night if he wants to stay over. There’s rooms upstairs at Grillby’s new place.” 

Charity shook her head. “I want you guys to meet him. I think my mother would have wanted that too.” 

He gave her an affectionate smile. “Well then invite him over. I’ll bake a pie.” 

She sighed. And when she didn’t respond, Sans pushed himself upright and leaned towards her.

“Don’t worry about us.” He said gently, patting her knee. She suddenly remembered him doing the same gesture months back when she had fallen down the hole to the monster world. It had been the first time she’d seen his monster form and he had tried to reassure her that he wasn’t going to hurt her. 

“Papyrus and I are _bone_ -a-fide conversationalists,” he said with a wink. “You can ask Edith. She’ll tell you.” 

Charity smiled. She had admired the way the two brothers so easily handled old Edith’s inappropriate advances. She had once caught the elderly lady squeezing Papyrus’ bicep and she was always trying to finger-comb Sans’ messy hair into a neat parting. Edith loved it when Sans complimented her every time greeted her. Charity had to admit that Sans was quite the flirt when he wanted to be. Papyrus on the other hand was as pure as the days were long, oblivious to the fluttering of eyelashes and alluring gazes many young girls threw his way as he walked down the street. For someone who craved popularity, he sure was ignorant about it when it so blatantly approached him. 

“I know...” she sighed, as Sans’ hand stopped patting her knee and returned to his pocket. “You’re both so good.” She reached out a hand to touch his face, the taste of pina colada still fresh on her lips. Though her eyes were slightly bleary, she could still make out the significant darkness around Sans’ eyes. 

“Your monster is showing,” she muttered, her thumb gracing the skin near his lip. 

Sans peered at her curiously, his lip twitching. 

“My what?” he smirked, his head tilting slightly into her hand as she continued to cradle his cheek. 

Through the haze of tipsy fatigued she realised how inappropriate her previous statement may have sounded. She barked a laugh, her hand retracting to cover her mouth so as not to disturb the other brother. 

“I meant your eyes! Look.” This time, she placed both hands on his face and turned it towards the mirror on the opposite wall. She watched as Sans squinted at his reflection, his eyesight probably as blurry as her own. It took him a while to notice, or perhaps he simply liked the feel of her hands holding up his head. It wouldn’t have surprised her if his lazy streak went that far. 

“Oh...” he muttered. 

When he turned back to face her, his dark circles and cheekbones were a little less prominent though his face still lacked the frosty light it usually housed. 

“I guess no excessive drinking at Grillby’s when it opens, huh?” 

“Guess not.” She smiled, “at-least not for you,” and ruffled his hair. 

Sans grunted and swatted her hands away. 

“I knew coming to the surface was a bad idea,” he joked. But Charity’s alcohol flushed face fell into a frown. 

“Stop saying that, you know I don’t like it when you say that.” 

Sans rolled his eyes at her which prompted her to catch him around the head with a firm cushion. The booze had obviously also slowed his usually fast reflexes. 

“Gotcha!” She exclaimed, and celebrated with a gloating victory dance. It was short lived however as the same cushion, albeit this time surrounded by a halo of blue, knocked her flat onto her back. When she finally blinked away the last of the stars from her vision, her eyes came into focus to see Sans’ lazy grin hanging over her. 

“Whoops.” 

Though a growl vibrated in her throat, then faintest of smiles graced her lips. 

“Heh heh. Did I getcha?”


	11. Grillby and Gang

Both Sans and Charity had fallen asleep on the sofa that night after a heated second round of cushion throwing and hushed trash talk. The battle had stopped when a vase had almost toppled to the floor. Charity had been the one to catch it. She had playfully scolded Sans’ lousy aim, (despite the fact he hand landed practically every shot prior), and called for a ceasefire before they woke Papyrus. 

“I’m sparing you this time, pal!” She’d teased, waving a finger at him. 

“You’re sparing me?” He’d retorted, feigning shock. “Finally.” 

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the smell his jacket and the slow rhythm of his breathing. 

She hadn’t flinched when she awoke early Sunday morning to find he had shifted back into his monster form while asleep at the other end of the couch. She returned his jacket she had used as a blanket to him as he continued to snore softly. She then proceeded to tiptoe around the living room, clearing up the glasses and empty snack packets from the night before. Considering she had drunk quite a few cocktails, she was wide awake and spritely by the time both brothers were up. 

“Lunch is ready so help yourselves,” she said through a mouthful of bread, gesturing to the kitchen counter towards a plate of bruschetta. 

Sans yawned his way through a few helpings while Papyrus demolished the rest of plate. Coming from a family with a background in hospitality, Charity always liked seeing her food being enjoyed so much. 

Once they were done, they set off to the monster realm to meet Grillby. It was finally time for him to make his appearance on the surface. Between the four of them, the move had gone quite smoothly. Surprisingly, Grillby’s human form hadn’t startled her that much. He retained his tall, straight posture and the thick, black hair he gained still curled upwards like a flame. His skin was dark with warm undertones and his eyes behind his glasses were an earthy brown. Those same eyes scanned his new establishment with a broad smile. 

“Nice, job you three. I really owe you one.”

Sans chuckled. “Heh. So you’ll wipe my tab?” He chanced, head tilted up to look at him. 

“Not likely.”

Sans shrugged, “worth a try.” 

It didn’t take long for news of the grand opening of the new bar to spread around the small town. Grillby was extremely well versed in talking to all the locals that welcomed him, most likely due to his job as a bartender. He had taught Papyrus his small menu of burg’ and fries and, with a little help from Charity to help tweak the selection of beverages to suit the human palette, the opening night was set to go. What with the event happening in town, Charity had finally plucked up the courage to invite her dad to visit and he’d arrived on the day of the opening while the skelebros were helping Grillby set up for the evening. 

As she greeted her father at the door, a wave of both happiness and unease washed over her. She wondered how long it would take for him to notice there were men’s jackets hung up on the coat stand. She’s thought to hide them but decided it might be an icebreaker. Though he was aware of her spare room, he had told her on the phone that he had booked a room at the same BnB she had stayed in previously, so as to not impede on her privacy. He didn’t realise how secretly relieved she was that he’d done that, despite the fact she had told him he was more than welcome to stay at hers. 

“Wow!” He chimed as he sat down on the couch that Charity had previously checked for whoopie cushions. “You’ve really made it feel cosy in here.” 

The last time he’d seen her apartment was when he was helping her move in. It had lacked the houseplants and soft furnishings it now possessed. She expressed her thanks as she made them tea and served up the pie Sans had baked the previous day. When he complimented the sweet treat, Charity decided it was now or never. 

“Oh, well it was actually one of my housemates that made it.” She tried to sound as casual as possible, attempting to channel Sans’ easy tone. 

“Oh? You never told me you had housemates. What’s her name?” 

She hadn’t failed to notice the use of the feminine pronoun. Clearing her throat after another spoonful of pie she replied. 

“Sans. He’ll...erm, be performing at the bar tonight.” 

Aware that she could have simply given just his name, she was eager to just get it over with. Though, the rapid blinking her father was now performing almost made her regret her boldness. 

“I see. And the other housemate. You did say _housemates_ earlier.” He too, seemed to be trying to act as casual as possible. He had set his unfinished helping of pie back onto the coffee table. 

“Well, it’s erm. Well, they’re brothers. Papyrus works at the bar as the chef.” 

Her dad’s brows had lifted to his hairline at the sound of the name Papyrus. 

“And these boys...” he began slowly, his fingers tapping against the armrest. “You’ve known them very long? I don’t remember you ever mentioning anyone by those names while you were at college.” 

Charity heaved a sigh. It was her turn to set down her slice of pie. She held his gaze when she said in a firm voice, “dad. Please. You’ll meet them both tonight at the opening. They’re good people.”

_Well technically, they’re monsters_

Her dad remained silent, only the sound of his drumming fingers could be heard. So she pressed on. 

“We’ve been living together for a while now...” she held up a dismissive hand to halt the question forming on his lips, “and they’ve been really helpful. They both have jobs and they help around the house. Just...” she reached out and took his hand. “Just please, wait til you meet them.” 

His face softened at her touch and after a moments hesitation, he leaned over and picked his slice of pie back up. 

That evening, while her father was back at the BnB getting ready to meet them at the bar, Sans and Papyrus came back to get changed for the opening night. They had asked her how everything went with her dad and Sans had winked smugly at her when she told him how much her dad had liked his pie. Papyrus eagerly declared that if he liked Sans’ pie, he’d love The Great Papyrus’ burgers. They had arranged to have dinner at the bar. 

To celebrate Papyrus’ new position as chef at Grillby’s, Charity had gifted him with an apron that read ‘kiss the cook,’ on it’s front. His hug had lifted her off her feet. 

Unsurprisingly, nearly every local was packed into the new bar but Grillby handled the crowd seamlessly. Sans had gone into the kitchen to help Papyrus with the cooking and Charity was pleased to see that the plates came out ketchup-free. When she introduced her father to Edith, the elderly woman took no time in telling him how lovely both she and her two friends were. In fact, she spent more time praising the brothers’ good manners than she did Charity’s work at the store. She would have felt insulted but the old lady’s monologuing was helping ease her father’s concerns about his daughter’s choice of housemates.

Once everyone was fed and had all settled at tables with their suitably-human beverages, (no one was drooling uncontrollably), Grillby announced tonight’s entertainment and motioned towards the small stage area. 

Papyrus was still back in the kitchen clearing up all the finished orders. Besides, he’d had a lifetime of hearing Sans’ gags. 

As expected, Sans’ wit and charm soon won over the previously apprehensive crowd. As the gags kept coming, the laughs kept rolling. And when Sans’ had followed one joke with a wink in Edith’s direction, the old dear had giggled loudly like a school girl while sloshing her gin n’ tonic down her flowery blouse. Even some of the grumpier men, like her stony-faced landlord Graham, had snorted a few laughs. When his performance finished to a round of applause and wolf-whistles, her father turned to her and stated, “well I can see why you like the guy.” 

Papyrus had been overjoyed to hear her father call his food, ‘one of the best burgers he’d had in while,’ and had responded with an equally enthusiastic remark about how great her dad’s pasta recipes were. 

“Charity has been teaching me a few!” He’d continued. The remark had made her dad’s face glow with pride. 

Eventually, tired from his early trip that morning, her father told them that it was probably time for an ‘old man like him to turn in.’ And that, ‘you kids should stay and enjoy the rest of the night.’ Charity kissed him on the cheek under the streetlights outside the bar and, after he shook both Papyrus and Sans’ hands in thanks for such a great evening, they watched him head back towards the BnB. 

“Well, Charity!” Papyrus exclaimed with his hands on his hips, “I don’t know why you were so nervous about having him come to visit! What a charming fellow your father is!” 

She smiled her thanks as they headed back inside. Grillby made them a round of drinks on the house- A pina cola for Charity, a lime soda for Papyrus and a Bloody Mary for Sans, (with an extra dose of ketchup). A very tipsy Edith had been offering Sans drinks all night and when he’d turned to her and asked if she were trying to get him drunk, she’d swatted at his arm playfully and let out another girlish giggle. When she told a confused Papyrus that his food was almost as delicious as him, Charity declared that it was probably best they all head home. They bid Grillby goodbye and he thanked them for all their help. Old lady Edith planted sloppy kisses on both the brothers faces as they left. 

As Papyrus wiped the fuchsia pink lipstick from his cheek, he babbled quietly about how odd humans were and asked if all elderly humans acted like that. 

“I reckon she’s one of a kind, bro,” Sans’ replied as they pushed open the door to their apartment. 

“Don’t let her hear you say that or she might try and give you more than a kiss on the cheek next time.” Charity laughed as she reached over and removed Sans’ own lipstick stain from his cheek. 

“Well done tonight by the way boys, you did great.” 

Her father left the following morning and the three of them saw him off at the station. When he shook the brothers’ hands in turn, she was thankful that he didn’t say anything like ‘look after my daughter’ or ‘I’ll be keeping tabs on you.’

Instead, he told them that he couldn’t wait for Sans’ next show and another helping of Papyrus’ burger and fries. He hugged his daughter deeply and told her to keep in touch. As the three of them watched his train leave the platform, she linked her arms through theirs and thanked them for all they’d done. 

“No problem.”

“Though, we should be the ones thanking you.” 

With Papyrus only working evenings and Sans’ only working on Friday nights, both the brothers had plenty of time to devote towards helping more and more monsters come to the surface. Some, like the chilldrakes and froggits kept to the surrounding valleys and forests as their magic was too weak to disguise themselves amongst the humans. Others, like Undyne and Alphys however, soon became new habitants in the town. Now that the bar was practically full to the brim every evening, especially on weekends, Grillby had suggested Undyne take up the position of bouncer. 

Sans’ stand-up had gained even more popularity when a video of him performing had appeared on the internet and more and more students were coming to watch him perform from neighbouring towns. Undyne gladly took up the opportunity to throw out any trouble makers and Sans’ quick wit easily handled any drunken hecklers. As Charity had suspected, Undyne’s human form was not scarier than her monster form. She retained her tall and lean physique that was so similar to Papyrus.’ Her bright red hair always turned heads in the street, but not as quickly as her ever menacing smile chased off any rowdy youths trying to wangle their way into Grillby’s. 

Alphys had offered to help Charity at the book store after having sheepishly mentioned that her Grandfather worked at that Library in Snowdin. 

“You mean the ‘librarby.’” Sans’ had corrected. 

Undyne had gleefully pointed out how much her girlfriend’s human form resembled the cute, blonde haired main character from one of their favourite anime shows. Alphys has almost keeled over from the compliment. 

In a matter of months, the town had gained an influx of new habitants from the monster world. Something the locals had not failed to noticed. Though some of the older men grumbled about outsiders and ‘these city-slickers and their weird names,’ the majority of the townsfolk were thankful that their amenities were reappearing. 

Muffet had opened up a quaint cafe with an adorable shop front. The dainty spider-girl’s human form looked no older than Charity but she handled her new business like someone who had decades of experience. Charity had to remind herself that despite the fact many of the monsters looked a certain age, many of them had lived underground for years and years before meeting her. The notion that they had all seen her own mother grow up still bothered her on occasions. She would lay in bed some nights wondering whether she’d grow old and grey while the new found family that grew around her would remain the same. 

One night, while she and Sans’ drank their usual cocktails on the couch, after having punned Papyrus clear from the room, did she raise this concern. 

“What happens when monsters grow old?” She asked, watching the dregs of her pina colada swirl as she tilted her glass here and there. 

Sans’ quirked an eyebrow, “why?” he asked, as he watched her wrist spin her glass curiously. 

She shrugged, “just wondering.” 

“Well, they ‘fall down.’” He stayed simply, “and they remain that way until they turn to dust. Then, their soul leaves forever. But they’re remembered by spreading the dust on something they cherished while alive.”

Charity hummed quietly, “sounds similar to the way humans spread their ashes.” 

She saw him nod in the corner of her eye and was vaguely aware that he had shifted closer. 

“Something up?” He nudged her with his shoulder. 

Sighing, she placed her glass down on the coffee table and kept her eyes from his. 

“And when does that happen?” She asked in a small voice. 

Sans chuckled.

“Heh. If you want rid of us just say so.” But when she didn’t laugh, his voice adopted a more serious tone as he went on. “The magic in monsters doesn’t cause us to age like humans.” 

Charity sighed sadly at that but Sans continued. 

“Unlike humans, who’s bodies age day by day, monsters can choose how their bodies age. Many of the monsters who survived after the war with the humans chose to halt their ageing process in the hopes that, when they returned to the surface, they could live out their lives above ground.” 

Realisation slowly dawned on Charity and she turned to Sans with a hopeful expression. 

“So that means, you can start ageing again now? That you won’t- that I won’t...” she trailed off. 

“Turn into a kookie old lady like ole’ Edith while Paps and I stay looking young and handsome?” He grinned. 

She laughed at him, knocking her shoulder with his. 

“Something like that,” she replied. And she tilted her head to rest it against him. 

Still chuckling in that low, easy way she had become so fond of, he wrapped an arm around her as they both settled into the softness of the couch. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll all be able to turn into kookie oldies together.” 

Tucking her legs beneath her, she let her arms return the embrace, seeking the warmth beneath his jacket. 

And just like that, her worries had drifted away as easily as she did to sleep. All was well. 

At least for now.


	12. Before The Fall

This time, it had been Papyrus who had woken up first. When he gleefully called ‘good-morning,’ in a tone that revealed just how amused he had been to see both Charity and his older brother slumped on the sofa together, Charity had to admit she felt a twinge of embarrassment. His high, sing-song voice had woken her with a start. And as he placed two steaming mugs on the coffee table before them, she hastily unwrapped herself from the still sleeping Sans.

 _That guy could honestly sleep through anything_. 

“Sleep well?” Papyrus grinned. 

Despite his expression, Charity couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. She really didn’t want any shift in the dynamic between the three of them- what with them living together and all. Back at college, she had heard the complains of people who had had to share dorms with a couple. It never seemed to end well. Not that she and Sans were a couple. Of course. But, as she sheepishly picked up the mug of coffee Papyrus slid towards her with a twitch of his eyebrows, the feeling she was being accused washed over her. 

She took a sip, “I did. Thanks for asking.” Her voice was small, barely audible over Sans’ snoring. 

“Personally I don’t know how you can tolerate that awful noise,” he gestured at his brother’s sleeping face and grimaced. 

Charity smiled then asked “does it bother you, sharing a room with him?” She then leaned closer to Papyrus and added in a theatrically loud whisper, “I can always kick him out.” 

She felt Sans’ leg nudge her in the back. 

“Oh no no no!” Papyrus replied with a wave of his hands. “If I can tolerate his puns, I can tolerate any annoying noise he makes.” 

They both turned to Sans as he let out a long sigh and slowly sat up.

“Oh...” he chimed, feigning surprise as he looked from Charity to his brother. “Don’t mind me.” 

She grinned at him as she offered him her coffee. He returned her expression as he took it. 

From then on, Charity made sure that she and Sans refrained from any late night talks and drinks on the couch. At least for a little while...

As the weeks turned to months, it seemed less and less likely that the brothers would be moving into their own place. Luckily for Graham the landlord’s bank account however, Muffet had chosen to rent out one of the other apartments in their building, Undyne and Alphys another. They often visited them to eat pie and watch anime. They had only visited Muffet once to welcome her to the building, but after seeing that she’d manage to sneak in her huge muffin-like spider pet, they swiftly agreed to never go there again. 

The three of them had become so used to their routine between the their apartment, the book store and the bar. Weekends were still devoted to going on trips and visiting the underground on occasions. Although, there were fewer and fewer monsters to visit now. Grillby’s daughter was handling the old establishment exceedingly well. She would visit him now and again, but was still one of the remaining monsters who feared the surface. 

It had taken a lot longer than it had for everyone else to settle in, but eventually Toriel had managed to secure a small house of her own. It was far harder to reopen a school than it was a bar, so the older cow-lady had chosen to teach from her home instead. She called the sessions tu-toriels, much to Papyrus’ despair. In her human form, Toriel resembled what you’d imagine a kind-faced mother to look. She had large round eyes and a gentle smile. Her hair fell about her shoulders in soft waves. It was lucky that she radiated so much warmth because her height was still her most striking feature. She was even taller than Papyrus. More shockingly still, the king of the monsters himself had turned up at their front door one day, hunched over in the hallway that simply wasn’t built to accommodate his enormous build. Charity had never met Asgore before, only heard of him through everyone’s stories, therefore didn’t know what he looked like in his monster form. As a human though, he was alarmingly tall with broad shoulders. He was hairy and bearded and beneath all that fuzz, he had a kind face. His gentle side was bolstered by the fact he had told them that he wanted to sell flowers. Not wanting to deny the king of the monsters a direct request, Charity began searching for any available places to rent. 

It had Papyrus who found just the place as he was out jogging one morning. And before long, the once empty shop front was bursting with color.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. Things ticked along like clockwork, only with way more laughter. The townspeople loved the new cafe that had fast become popular for it’s baked-goods. Sans had gained a large fan club that always took up the front seats at the bar during his performances. As for his younger brother, popularity had equally hit him like a steam train. Not that he knew how to handle it now that he finally had it. Though he lapped up the compliments the local girls gave him anytime they saw him at work or in the street, his innocence never quite processed the forwardness of some of the remarks. Much to Charity and Sans’ amusement. Since their last incident, they had made sure not to fall asleep cuddled up on the couch again. Although, during the nights Papyrus worked late at Grillby’s, they would often find themselves nestled close together whilst Sans read a book Charity had brought him from the store. He had almost gone through the entire sci-fi section.

Considering he had the most time on his hands, Sans had previously been the one to handle passing information between the surface and below. But, now that most of the monsters who wanted to move had, the older sibling found himself in need of a new way to pass the time. Much like he had done underground, he jumped from job to job wherever he was needed. Sometimes he would help at Grillby’s, either behind the bar or in the kitchen, other times he would hurl books around Charity’s head at the book store as she tried to snatch them out of the air. Alphys would always eye the door nervously for customers. Edith had gone into retirement and was clearly spending it topped up to the eyeballs in gin and flirting with the brothers whenever she could. She had fast become Undyne’s favourite local.

Then one day, as though it had all been just a happy dream, the life they had built up around them crumbled away just as abruptly as the earth had done the day Charity had fallen into the cave. 

The day had started well. Birds were singing and flowers were blooming. On days like these, no one would have expected what happened next.


	13. A Bad Time

Ever since the monsters had made their home amongst the humans once more, though disguised, the sleepy town that Charity had once visited simply to scatter her mother’s ashes was sleepy no more. More and more shops opened as habitants of Snowdin and other monster villages expanded their businesses to the surface. Grillby’s was never empty, full of older men during the day and young adults when the sun went down. Muffet was elated by how much money she was making. 

The rising popularity of the town however, had seemingly caused it’s former history to resurface as rapidly as the monsters had done. Talk had once again begun to spread about its old, urban legend- that the town and its surrounding area was supposedly haunted by demons. This had made certain monsters, such as Alphys and Toriel very nervous.

“But what happens if they find out?” The tall lady had said as she nervously clutched at her tea cup. Sans and Charity had gone to visit her one afternoon after she had finished one of her teaching sessions. 

“Everyone’s being real careful, Toriel. We just gotta keep doing what we’re doing and handle any issues if or when they come.” 

That’s what Sans had told her. 

When they left, Charity had turned to him and expressed her shared anxiety. 

“You seemed to almost sound like you expect something to happen, Sans.” She made sure to watch him carefully when he answered. 

He had shrugged his shoulders somewhat apathetically. Looking her in the eye as he replied. “There’s always gonna be a chance something goes wrong. We just gotta be prepared for it if it does.” 

Charity linked her arm in his. She noted how funny they must look strolling down the street together. She had worn heels that day, making the sleight height difference between them into a far more noticeable one. 

“And if it does?” She pressed on. 

“Then I’ll handle it. No worries.” 

She had wanted him to clarify what that meant exactly, but her phone had rang. It was her father. By the time she’d put her mobile back into her handbag after speaking to him for 20 minutes, she’d forgotten the issue entirely.

They then went on to meet up with Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys for a late lunch at Muffet’s.

But just because she’d forgotten, didn’t mean the issue no longer existed. 

A week later, Charity noticed a small group of new people she hadn’t seen before sat at a table in Grillby’s. Sans was currently meant to be helping behind the bar but had instead spent the good part of an hour sat talking to her. Grillby had left them to it, but not before reminding Sans that he would be knocking it off his wages. Despite the seriousness of his tone, Charity knew it was an empty threat. He had way too much of a soft spot for the smiling Sans. 

“I think they’re those dark tourists types,” Sans had said after seeing Charity cast another curious glance towards the strangers’ table. 

“Should we be worried?” Charity asked, frowning over her glass of cherry coke. 

“I’ll keep an eye out, don’t worry about it.” 

And she didn’t for another week. 

Until the day came. The day she had dreaded since the start of this whole, wild adventure. 

She had woken early one Sunday morning to have coffee with Papyrus before setting off on their morning jog. Ever since he had found her and Sans on the couch together, she had wanted to find more things to do with the younger sibling now that she saw less of him due to his job as chef at Grillby’s. Undyne had chosen to come along too. Sans remained unmovable from his bed. 

They took their usual route through the park, past the lake that Onionsan now secretly inhabited, through the quiet picnic area and up towards a forest trail. Undyne had steamed off ahead towards the last part of their course while Papyrus graciously stayed behind with a struggling Charity. 

“She...always...pushes me...way too hard,” she managed between pants as Papyrus jogged beside her having barely broken a sweat. His hair had remained as pristine as it had been that morning- Papyrus had admitted that having a head of hair was the best part about being in his human form. He cared for his new locks as if they were the source of all his power. When Charity had introduced him to hair-styling, well, that had been it. She’d once found the two brothers bickering about the state of Sans’ naturally messy head of white hair. She’d chosen not to intervene and instead sat back and chortled at all the hair related puns the older sibling launched at his younger brother like bullets. Papyrus had given up trying to style his brother’s hair after that. 

“Well that’s Undyne for you! She always tries to get people to reach their hidden potential!” 

“Well I think I left mine back home...” she wheezed. 

Not being able to take the pain of the stitch in her side any longer, Charity slowed to a halt. As she caught her breath, a shrill noise from somewhere in the tree line snagged their attention. Before they could even turn to look at each other quizzically, another shrill cry rang out followed by a chorus of excited screams. 

Without hesitation, Papyrus had sprinted towards the commotion. Charity called out to him, but he had already disappeared into the tall columns of tree bark. Cursing, she took off after him. She didn’t have far to venture into the forest. She came to an abrupt halt at Papyrus’ side. She peered past his shoulder with a sickening feeling of apprehension. A little further ahead of them was the source of all the noise. 

The same group of people she had seen at the bar were all hunched over the remains of what was a froggit. However, as the poor creature gave out a last, pitiful cry, it’s body simply turned to dust and floated past the phone screen of one of the three members. For a moment, Charity just stood and watched with her mouth agape behind a shaking hand. It was only when Papyrus yelled out that she reacted, grabbing at his shirt to stop him. 

“Humans! What are you doing?” He cried, taking a bold step towards them. The group turned in unison, they’re excited eyes hardening slightly at the sight of them. 

“We found one!” One of them called, eyes blazing with the unnerving look of someone who was still floating on the effects of a power high. 

“A demon!” Another added, the one holding the mobile phone. 

“We got it though! Got it all on camera too,” said the last. Charity saw that he was holding a knife. 

Before Charity could reaffirm her grip on Papyrus’ shirt, he had pulled himself from her fingers and was marching towards them. At first, she feared that he was going to attack them, but instead he simply towered over them and said loudly-

“I fear your lives are going down a dangerous path! However, as I look at you all, I see potential within you! You can all be good people if you try!” 

The group looked from one to the other, exchanging glances that first looked puzzled, but then shifted into expressions that made Charity’s breath catch. 

“Papyrus! Papyrus, come back. Let’s go,” she hissed, nervously eyeing the glinting knife in one of the member’s hands. The group was beginning to look more and more consumed by the dizzying power that taking a life had filled them with. 

“Yeah, you should probably just get out of here. Listen to your girlfriend and jog on back to town!” One snarled. 

Papyrus straightened his spine. “Now see here, she is not my girlfriend. We haven’t even been on a d-“

“Didn’t you hear me?!” The one with the knife spat. He raised it and pointed its sharp tip towards Papyrus’ broad chest. 

“Once this video gets around, we’ll be famous!” The first one said gleefully. “C’mon let’s go upload it!” They tugged at the sleeve of the one who was holding the phone. They both went to turn and leave but the one with the knife hadn’t moved from his previous position. 

“Papyrus!” Charity called again, pleading leaking into her voice as it cracked slightly. 

“Papyrus, huh?” The ringleader mused, sneering down the length of the blade. “Didn’t you call us ‘humans’ before? Funny thing to say, isn’t it?” 

Charity felt her heartbeat rising. She couldn’t just stand back and watch this all unfold. She rushed forwards and took Papyrus’ arm. “C’mon let’s go!” She whispered as she tugged. 

“But you are a human,” he replied naively, placing his hands on his hips as if he’d just won an argument. 

“So what does that make you two, huh? You demons too?” Grinned the ringleader, taking a step towards them. 

This time, it was Charity’s turn to speak. Steadying her breath, she forced her eyes to look straight at him as she said, “look, we don’t want any trouble. We’ll just-“

But before she could continue, the ringleader interjected. 

“Oh ho ho...” he laughed, his two friends returned to either side of him. 

“Well that’s too bad!” 

And without warning, his knife had slashed through the air. Multiple cries rang out, some of gleeful excitement, others of pain and fear. 

Charity’s eyes had closed instinctively as her hands had flown up to shield her face. However, upon reopening them a second later, her heart had dropped at the sight of what greeted them. 

A shallow slash had appeared across Papyrus’ face and chest, and although it wouldn’t have been too serious, the fact that it leaked the same dusty substance that the dying froggit had done moments earlier was enough to rekindled the frenzied emotions of the group. 

“I knew it!” called the ringleader. His two friends gasped in exhilaration. 

His knife flew up again, streaking it’s blade deeper this time as he carved a huge cross into Papyrus’ body. 

More dust. 

This time however, Papyrus moved into a action. He took hold of the ringleader’s wrist. 

“Hey! Quit moving!” Papyrus ordered as the other immediately began to try and wriggle free. 

“I won’t let you leave here! Especially with that phone!” And he lurched forward with his free hand to take the device from the unsuspecting group member.

And Charity knew the moment this happened that it was the worst thing he could have done. 

In unison, the two other members had leapt onto him, scratching and clawing for the phone. He had fallen backwards with the impact, bringing the ringleader down with him as the grip on his wrist remained. 

Heart beating loudly in her ear drums, Charity rushed forward and tried to wrench the bodies free from him. Amidst the struggle, an elbow caught her in the face, instantly busting her lip. But she continued her attempts to free Papyrus from the pile of writhing bodies as blood trickled down her face. 

Suddenly, a voice from behind her filled her with a surge of determined. It was Undyne’s angry yell. Her presence would more than even the battle field. As the tall, former royal guard rushed forward, another cry rang out through the forest. And when Undyne’s strong arms lifted the two gang members up and roughly tossed them behind her, the source of the sound became hauntingly apparent. 

In the tussle, the ringleader had managed to sink the knife multiple times into Papyrus upper body. Though Charity couldn’t see any blood, the sight still remained horrific. Dust swirled freely around the wounds that had left the areas beneath surrounding them party transformed back into its monster form. Half of his face was that of his youthful, sunshine-bright human self, the other was that of his skeletal grin. Though neither side brought Charity any joy to see. Not when they were so crudely held together by a fine film of dust. 

His grip had loosened enough on the ringleaders wrist for him to pull back the knife and raise it above his head once more. But before he could attempt another blow, Charity grabbed at his arm and held onto it as he tried to shake her off. Without a second thought, she sunk her teeth into his hand and the knife fell to the soft earth with a dull thud. 

The ringleader cried out in pain, Papyrus used the to moment to push himself free and Charity felt a rush of relief to see him still moving. Papyrus must have used some form of his magic, though weakly, as a bone-like apparition batted the yelping ringleader backwards enough to give Charity a window to grab the weapon. 

But one of the other members, having slipped through Undyne’s arm got there first. Then, as he scrambled back to his feet with the knife in hand, a glowing blue spear pierced the ground by his feet. He yelped in terror and the knife fell back to the ground. 

Everything went still again. Undyne had hold of one of the group members, the other stood paralysed in fear by the humming spear Undyne had thrown near his toes. 

Charity had her arms around a dust-stained Papyrus who was barely managing to stand. The bone-apparition he had previously cast had faded along with his strength. 

The ringleader, cradling his reddened hand, was poised in a weary crouch. His eyes still burned with the determination to spring forth and resume his attack. 

The dust speckled knife still lay on the ground. 

It was a stand off. 

“Charity...” Undyne began slowly, the fist that gripped the group member’s shirt trembling with suppressed rage, “just say the word and I can finished these little cowards.” Her tone was dangerous, as was the look in her one, visible eye. She had seemingly slipped back into her monster form. Her sharp, yellowish teeth visible through her snarl, her long red hair blazing like a flame in the soft breeze. 

Charity saw the ringleaders fingers twitch. 

Recklessly, as she felt Papyrus slowly begin to slump to the ground, she dove. But it was the ringleaders fingers that wrapped around the handle first. His other hand grabbed a fistful of dirt from the ground and threw it into her eyes. Blinded, Charity could only hear what happened next.

Undyne’s cry had sounded, followed by a yell from one of the other group members and the whoosh of what sounded like another spear being hurtled through the air. 

When the last of the dirt was blinked from her watering eyes, Charity gasped as she tilted her blood-stained chin upwards. The ringleader was towering over with the knife brandished high in the air. This time, however, it was encased in a bright, blue glow. The ring leader struggled against it as it held him firmly in place, his face a mix of adrenaline fuelled rage and frustration. 

“Let me ask you a question...” came a voice from somewhere behind them. That same low, easy voice that she associated so often with bad jokes and shameless laughter. 

Charity chanced a look past her shaking attacker. 

There, stood in the shadow of the tree line, was Sans. He held a glowing hand front of him. His left eye was ablaze- the same shade of blue as a gas fire. 

“You wanna have a bad time?”


	14. A Knife Edge

“Sans...” Charity said slowly. Part thankful greeting, part warning. 

Though the sight of her best-friend was a relief, the look of his face was not, for it was not one she recognised. For the first time since she had first lain eyes on him in the cave, when he had peered down on her with a skeletal grin, she was actually quite scared of him. 

He was between worlds. His body resembling that of how he had looked after getting drunk with her that one time. When his magic had slipped, revealing a glimpse of the true monster beneath. When his eyes had darkened at their sockets and his skin had blackened at the temples. When his lazy grin had appeared larger. 

Though this time, she suspected that he wasn’t drunk. His gaze was far too steady and his raised fingers were far too still as his power held onto the ringleader’s weapon-hand like a vice. In the back of her mind, underneath the panic, she suspected that it was due to this immense control and concentration that had caused his disguise to fall slightly. And only when he lifted the ringleader clean off his feet and tossed him into a clearing, did his human form slip away entirely. 

Undyne, who had had to stop one of the other members for making a break for it, returned to the scene with both of the others culprits in hand. She carried them by the neck of their shirts. One looked unconscious- either she had fainted in fear or Undyne had dealt her a blow. The other was whimpering softly. 

With a brief glance at his younger brother’s crumbled body, Sans stalked off in the direction he had tossed the ringleaders body as Undyne crushed the mobile phone used to film the killing of the froggit under her boot. 

Charity looked between her two options- she could either stay and help get Papyrus to safety or she could take off after Sans and Undyne as they made their way to the clearing with the three group members in their sights. 

Panting with apprehension, she knew that the choice was obvious. 

Determination filled her as she looped her arms under Papyrus, as his hung weakly at his sides. 

“Pap...” she urged, heaving at his dead weight. 

“Pappy, can you stand?” 

The weakened monster gave out an exhausted groan but his legs shifted beneath him to take his weight nonetheless. 

“That’s it, Pap,” she whispered encouragingly and they began to head back towards the town. “Let’s get you home.” 

It occurred to her that they both could have done with one of Sans’ famed shortcuts. But, as she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that he was currently still busy with the group. The clearing she had seen him disappear into flashed bright blue and white. She could hear faint screams and the occasional bark of laughter from Undyne. She swallowed hard and returned her focus to Papyrus. 

It was still very early morning therefore the streets they stumbled down were relatively empty. When the occasional head turned to stare inquisitively, Charity had managed with a weak smile “he just went a little overboard at a party last night.” Papyrus’ lolling head was enough to conceal the eerie distortion of his face. Charity’s jacket hid the rest of his injuries after having slung it around his shoulders. 

Tumbling through the front door to their apartment block, Charity immediately called out for help. In seconds, footsteps sounded on the stairs and both a curious Muffet and a concerned Alphys appeared in the hallway. Alphys gasped as Muffet’s girlish voice asked “what happened?” 

“I’ll explain later! Help me!” 

Between the three of them, they managed to get Papyrus up to the second floor where they hauled him rather unceremoniously into Charity’s apartment. As she and Alphys settled him on the couch, Muffet rushed off to make some tea. Charity imagined it was the same kind of tea Toriel had given her to help her recover from her fall. 

Once Muffet had returned, having transformed back into her monster form so as to be able to carry a teapot, a cup and saucer, a box of donuts and a human first aid kit in her many hands, Charity told them just what happened. 

They listened with a quiet disbelief while Muffet tended to Charity’s wounds, dabbing at her bloody lip softly enough to let her talk. Papyrus had managed a few mouthfuls of tea and had slipped into a deep sleep. 

“Did any one else see you?” Alphys trembled, her small hands gripped tightly around a cushion on her lap. 

Charity shook her head as Muffet handed her a donut. She bit into it gently so as to not reopen her wound. She felt he energy slip back with every mouthful. 

“No, but...” she thought back to the sounds that accompanied the flashes of blue and white light. The screams and the jovial laughter. Sans’ empty stare then the flash of his flaming iris. She vaguely remembered the sound of bones crunching, though perhaps it had been leaves- her imagination was still reeling. 

“I don’t know what Undyne and Sans did with the humans.” 

Alphys stifled a small sob. Muffet slid two of her many arms around the small, rounded girl and cast her multiple eyes in Charity’s direction. 

“It will be fine.” 

Charity bit her bottom lip as she fought back her tears. Papyrus muttered incoherently in his sleep. 

But this wasn’t the time to cry. She wasn’t willing to let everything they’d built together crumble away beneath them. She wasn’t going to let them fall backwards. 

Heaving a long, steady breath she turned to Alphys. 

“Alphys, please can you visit the other monsters and let them know what happened.” She glanced at Papyrus, blinking away the last traces of tears. 

“They deserve to know the truth and to know to keep their guard up until we know the coast it clear.” 

The small blonde nodded quickly, pushing up her glasses then dashing off. But not before giving them all a swift hug. 

That had been the first time that Alphys had ever expressed herself through physical contact since meeting her back in Snowdin. Charity felt her heart swell. 

She then turned to Muffet. 

“Do you think you can stay here with Papyrus while I go and find Sans and Undyne?” 

She nodded her dainty head in response. 

After cleaning herself up in the bathroom and changing into some fresh clothes, she slipped on her sturdy boots and took off back towards the forest. 

Her fingers traced the handle of the knife she had brought with her in her handbag as she turned back into the forest trail. 

_Just in case_. She told herself. In case what though? In case the humans came back to attack her? Or in case she ran into that version of Sans she had last witnessed moments before he had disappeared into the clearing after the human he had just tossed aside like a rag doll...

Part way back to the location they had been attacked, she spotted the unmistakable outline of Undyne’s tall physique against the bright, midday horizon. As she drew closer, she was relieved to see that she was unhurt. She had returned to her human form and was no longer wielding her spears. But she was alone. No sign of their attackers, no sign of Sans...

As if she could read her mind, the red-headed warrior informed her that she had helped Sans take the humans down to the monster world, as per his request. She admitted, in a jarringly small voice for her character, that she had wanted to simply dispatched of them then and there in the clearing. But, Sans had been he one to deny her the opportunity. As she peered down at Charity with her one eye, she stated how thankful she was that Sans had stopped her. 

“It sure was a close one. You really did well back there!” She slapped a hand hard onto Charity’s shoulder- a gesture the latter was so used to by now that she barely flinched. 

Charity murmured a thanks, knowing all too well that it was actually Undyne and Sans who had been the most help. 

She remembered the knife blade glinting above her head when she had opened her eyes. The blue aura that pulsed around it, keeping it from swinging down into her skull. Was that human really willing to take a swing at her simply to see whether she’d bleed red or seep dust? 

She swallowed down the spine-chilling memory before asking-

“So where are they now?” 

Undyne turned and pointed towards the direction of the entrance. “I had to come back and make sure you guys had made it back okay.”

Charity’s eyes slipped in and out of focus as her mind began to wonder what had become of the three attackers- what Sans could possible have done, or be doing, to them. 

She came-to as Undyne waved a hand in front of her face. 

“How’s Papyrus doing?” She asked when she brought Charity’s attention back to the present. 

Charity informed her that he was back at home under Muffet’s care and that she had sent Alphys to inform the monsters on the surface to remain vigilant. 

The warrior woman praised her ability to remain focused and offered to walk her back into town. But Charity declined the offer, telling her that she should get back to Alphys and the others quickly- that they’d need her around if anything else were to happen. 

“And where are you going?” Undyne had asked, but her expression betrayed the fact she already suspected her answer.

“Back to the cave,” she replied, and the image of the knife at her side flashed in mind.


	15. You Feel Your Sins

The trip back to the underground was an eerie one. It took her longer than usual without Sans’ shortcuts and as she finally made her way into Snowdin, a strange sensation squeezed her insides. 

She was stood in front of Sans’ and Papyrus’ old house, her eyes burning into the wooden door. She knocked twice and the faintest memory of Sans’ calling out the start of a ‘knock knock’ sounded in her mind. But in reality, everything was silent. 

_She’d always ignored those jokes to playfully spite him anyway..._

_‘Come in!’ She’d always say._

But no body called for her to come in as she stood on the doorstep with snow on her boots. 

But Grillby’s daughter had said that she hadn’t seen him. So where else could he be? 

She tried again. _Knock knock_. 

Nothing. 

So, cautiously she tried the door handle. It clicked open and she let the door swing on its hinges. The living room remained the way it had done the last time she was here. The same silly painting of a bone on the wall, the same green sofa she had slept on while wearing Sans’ jacket...

She stepped inside. 

She called his name the same way she had done months ago, on the cliff top her mother had written to her about, moments before seeing a flash of blue and tumbling down into the cave it had lured her into. 

There was still no reply. Her quiet footsteps were the only thing to be heard as she climbed the stairs. She paused at Papyrus’ door and looked in. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the race car bed and posters. He really was just a big kid at heart. Closing the door, she looked down the corridor to Sans’ room. She had actually never been inside it before. Papyrus had warned her that it was probably for the best. If she hadn’t been so anxious to know what had happened to Sans and the three humans, she would have understood more clearly what Papyrus had meant. 

There were discarded items of clothing, notably socks, strewn across the floor, a single mattress lay in the corner and, (for the love of all that is holy), why is there a small tornado of trash spinning silently in the corner? As she thought back to the Sans who graciously helped out back at their shared apartment on the surface, she found it difficult to believe that this really was his room. Then again, he did slack off more than the average person...

But before she could ponder the notion any longer, her eyes fell upon a chest of drawers at the back of his room. Curiosity and lack of options led her to search its contents and within it, she found a silver key. Clutching it in her hand, feeling it’s cold, hard press against her palm, she racked her brain for what the key could unlock. 

She exited the room with a final, bemused glance at the tornado, and rushed back down the stairs. After checking the kitchen and the living room once more, she exited the building and walked around the back. Perhaps it was the key to some sort of cellar? 

_God, is that where the three humans are being kept?_

She thought back to when she once suspected the slipper-wearing Sans to be some sort of psycho upon first meeting him. She had remembered contemplating the fact that she may have been drugged and kidnapped, thrown into a basement...

Then, as she rounded the side of the wood-clad house, she spotted a door she had never noticed before. The key felt heavy in her hand, the knife in her handbag even more so. 

She turned the lock and pushed open the door. A stairwell descended into a dark room. 

_Now, this is the part in the story where people would tell you to turn back and head home..._

But her feet were already making the descent into the gloom. Groping the smooth walls as she went, she felt her finger tips graze a light switch. As the room lit up around her, Charity had to squint as light bounced off every smooth, clean surface. The glossy, tiled flooring underfoot was a light shade of purple, the color of the walls resembled that of forget-me-nots. A strange color-combination for a lab...

But a lab it certainly was. Her curious eyes scanned the numerous blueprints scattered on the table tops. She couldn’t make out what they were for. She was aware of a large, rectangular shaped object towards the back of the room, covered entirely with a sheet. But before she could go and inspect it, a selection of photographs caught her eye. 

Many of them were of Sans, in his monster form, stood with a lot of people she didn’t recognise. He had never mentioned anything like this to her, not that she’d ever asked. She was never the sort of person to go poking around in other peoples’ business. 

At least not up until now. 

As she flicked through the photos, one in particular caught her eye. It appeared to be the most recent, judging from its condition. It showed Sans and everyone else she had gone on to call her friends- Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Toriel...

But it was the small, smiling figure in the middle that made her breath catch in her throat. 

It was her mother- still just a child, no more than 5 or 6 years old and dressed in a striped jumper and shorts. 

She felt a sudden wave of emotion and quickly put the photos back down. 

“Okay, so...” came Sans’ low drawl from the door way. She spun to face him. 

“You’re definitely the stalker.” 

That usually, highly contagious grin that had so often lifted her spirits, now caused her to falter as he cast it in her direction. 

“Sup?” He asked, when she didn’t respond. “Although, I should be the one asking the questions.”

In the past, she would have recognised the jest in his voice. But now, she felt as if she’d been cornered. As she stood in the curious little lab, Charity realised just how little she knew about the young man, no, _monster_ in front of her.

“Sans...” she managed weakly. 

He watched her silently from the doorframe, still smiling, still completely at ease, hands in pockets. 

He’d returned to his human form. Strange, considering he was underground in the monster realm. Charity wondered if it was intentional. 

_In case he thought I was scared of him._

“Where are the three humans?” 

Sans looked puzzled. “Huh. I thought you’d ask about this place first.” He said, gesturing around the room. 

She stared, challenging him to give her an answer.

“No? Well okay then.” He walked over to the table where she stood and leaned against it. He glanced at the photographs, then back at Charity. 

“They’ve been returned.” He said simply. 

Charity frowned, “what do you mean?”

“I returned them to where they came from. Used one of my...shortcuts.”

She wished he’d just stop being so vague. The look on her face prompted him to finally elaborate. 

“I er...monitor timelines.” He nodded at the blueprints, then at the large, rectangular object in the corner, still hidden beneath a purple sheet. 

“And I can step through time and space, kind of...” 

He eyed her bewildered gaze. “Yeah, it’s complicated. It’s why I still try to read up on it.”

_His affinity with all things sci-fi made a lot more sense..._

“Okay...” she said slowly. Although, she still couldn’t wrap her head around what he’d just said. “So what’s that got to do with the humans who attacked us?” 

She turned on him, her impatience growing. “What happened when I left, Sans? When Undyne left?” 

Sans shrugged casually. 

“They were judged for their sins. Some chose one path, others chose another. All were sentenced accordingly.”

Another cryptic answer that left her brain hurting. She hadn’t liked the sound of that last part. 

_‘Sentenced’_

“You mean...you killed them?” She murmured, her voice pleading for his denial.

Light blue eyes locked on to dark blue eyes. 

“No.” 

And his steely expression was enough for her to believe him. Although, she still felt like he was withholding information from her.

“I simply reset their timelines when they refused mercy. Certain measures had to be taken before that...” 

Charity remembered the glow of his hand, the flash of his iris, a body flying through the air, the sound of bones crunching. She reached for the table to steady herself. 

“So you did hurt them?” 

“They won’t remember. I restored the timeline to before they ever learnt of the town on the surface.” 

“So that means?”

“They’re alive and well. But don’t know anything about our new home...yet. Perhaps their timeline will repeat itself and we’ll see them again. Perhaps not. We can only hope it’s the latter.” 

He relayed this all so calmly, in that apathetic tone that would so often creep into his voice. 

He let the silence take over allowing Charity to attempt to process what he’d just said. 

“And if it happens again?” She muttered, watching him through her lashes. 

Sans sighed, suddenly looking tired. “Then we do it all over again and hope we’re dealt a better hand the next time.” 

Sadness welled up inside her as she suddenly felt the same, fatigued melancholy that Sans’ forced grin revealed. 

“But Papyrus...” she began, her voice thick. Her eyes dropped back down to the smiling faces on the photograph. The two brothers stood side by side...

“Papyrus was lucky to have you with him. And I can’t thank you enough.” He nudged her with his shoulder like he had so often done before. She refrained from shuddering. 

“You hurt them.” She said again. “You brought them down here...to hurt them?” 

Sans sighed as he closed his eyes.

“I brought them here to be judged. Like I told you. It was up to them what happened next. Two pleaded mercy and I granted it to them.”

“And the other?” She knew which one he meant. The one with the knife. Charity remembered the weapon she had brought with her. 

_Just in case._

“The other had to be stopped before they could be sent back.” 

She swallowed hard, unable to meet his gaze. The gentle, laid back Sans that she thought she had gotten to know so well was in fact capable of ending a life. Or rather, restarting it from a certain period? Resetting it?

It made her head hurt. She touched a finger to her temple. The lights in the lab made her drowsy. 

She reminded herself that he wasn’t human, though. Even though, when she reopened her eyes she saw a short, fair-haired young man with light eyes, blond stubble and dimpled cheeks, beneath that he was a monster. 

But he wa _s_ a _monster. Not monstrous._ It was his race, not his character. 

He, and all the other monsters who risked their lives to live in the sun, were the ones who had to disguise themselves from the ignorant fears of humans. Even now, she had suspected he had appeared to her in his human form so as to not scare her. 

And why was she scared of him? He had saved her life after-all. He was capable of killing, but wasn’t everyone? He had killed. Or at least _had k_ illed? In a separate timeline? Since the three humans were still living in a new timeline, did that really mean he’d even killed them in the first place?

The jumbled thoughts just kept coming. She squeezed her eyes tight shut again and knuckled her forehead. She’d taken a philosophy module at college but never had it made her question her sense or morality quite like this. 

“You wanna go to Grillby’s?” 

His voice caught her off guard. 

“What?” She asked, forcing her eyes open. 

“C’mon. You look like you could use a drink.”


	16. Who's There?

The Grillby’s he’d meant turned out to be the one on the surface and not the one in Snowdin. Charity imagined it was because he was eager to be nearer his brother. She couldn’t blame him. She wanted to see the younger sibling again too. 

They used more of Sans’ shortcuts to get back. Charity had always suspected that magic was involved when his mysterious routes would take them from point A to point B in a matter of minutes. And for some reason, the simple explanation of ‘it’s magic’ sat for more easily with her than ‘it’s a small jump through time and space.’ 

By the time they seated themselves at the bar at Grillby’s, strong liquor was calling to her. She ordered a rum and coke. Sans declined anything Grillby offered, even when he insisted that it was on the house. 

News had spread quickly about Papyrus’ attack thanks to Alphys’ warnings to lie low. Sans had told Charity on the walk back to town that he’d already been to see his brother who was now in the care of Undyne after Muffet had had to return to her own place. She’d mentioned something about having to feed her pet. 

“He’s gonna be okay. He’s tough is my brother.”

Charity smiled weakly into her glass, the bubbles that rose to the surface tickling her nose as they burst. 

“Thanks for what you did back there,” Sans went on. “For what you did in the forest.” His eyes dropped momentarily to her cut lip. 

But Charity shook her head. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you and Undyne hadn’t shown up-“ 

Sans shrugged lazily. 

“Well then I guess we’re even. A life for a life...”

“An eye for an eye.” Charity finished, and drank deeply from her glass. She saw Sans and Grillby exchange a look between them. She didn’t question what it meant.

When they finally returned home after having spent most of the evening sat quietly side by side, their elbows on the oak bar top, they thanked Undyne for all her help and settled themselves around the sleeping Papyrus. He had returned to his monster form and was snoring softly. Though he looked peaceful, his body looked broken. It made Charity feel broken too.

The three of them slept in the living room that night. And when Charity had screamed herself awake after having seen a knife slash at her face, she was both relieved to have not woken Papyrus, and to have Sans reach over and place his hand over hers. She remembered the knife she’d placed in her handbag. 

_Just in case._ She’d told herself. 

She made a mental note to put it back in the drawer tomorrow. 

And as her fingers linked with Sans,’ the same three words followed her into sleep. 

_Just in case._

She slept through the rest of the night without any disturbances, only waking when Undyne knocked loudly on the door. 

Sans was the one to open it. It seemed he’d been awake well before her. He was fully dressed, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air...

Papyrus was sitting upright and was smiling down at her. 

“Papyrus!” She cried and made to throw her arms around him but stopped herself short in fear of hurting him.

“After all he’s been through...” Undyne grinned as she helped herself to a drink from their fridge, “I’m sure he can handle a cuddle.”

“And he sure deserves one.” Sans added as he refilled his coffee mug. 

“Come here, human!” The younger skeleton croaked, and Charity settled herself between his open arms as tears threatened to roll down her cheeks.

Due to the fact that his weakened state prevented him from transforming into his human form, Papyrus had to remain at the apartment for the next few weeks while he recovered. In the meantime, Charity had offered to take up his role as chef at Grillby’s while Alphys continued to look after the book store. Sans continued to perform his stand-up shows weekly and Charity couldn’t help but admire his ability to crack jokes and hold the audience’s attention after everything that had happened. Though, his loyal fan base were so devoted to him at this point that he probably could have walked on stage and said the words ‘fart noise’ and have them laughing for hours after. Not that Charity minded. The sound of laughter was a good distraction from the constant dread of another attack.

Even when all the monsters around her began to fall back into their routines, Charity found herself self-isolating. She’d devoted way more time to going on long, solitary runs, sticking to the park and a couple of blocks around their apartment. Undyne would have been proud of her new-found endurance had she not been more concerned about her mental well-being. 

“You can’t live in fear, Charity.” She had told her one day over lunch. 

“Where’s that determination of yours?”

If Sans had noticed the dramatic shift in Charity’s attitude, he hadn’t let on. He remained as casual and laid back as ever, still cracking jokes whenever he could. She would continue to smile when he did, though it never quite reached her eyes. 

It was only when she found herself alone with him for the first time in weeks that she decide to express the concerns that had been eating away at her happiness. 

They had just finished keeping Papyrus, who was now almost fully recovered from his horrific ordeal, company for the day. It was the weekend- a time when they’d usually all visit a new town or the coast. But since the younger brother could still only maintain his human identity for short periods of time, they spent most Saturdays and Sundays at the apartment cooking and watching anime with Undyne and Alphys. 

This new routine relied heavily on the constant supply of snacks and drinks and when the group had run out of both it had been Sans and Charity who had offered to grab more from town. 

As the door to their apartment building closed behind them and they turned into the street, Charity took hold of the back of Sans’ jacket to stop him in his tracks.

”Hey Sans, can we talk?” 

“Sure,” he replied easily. “You wanna go Grillby’s? I’m sure they won’t miss us.” He nodded towards the second floor of the building.

Charity sighed, “could we maybe just go for a walk?” 

He smiled up at her from the bottom of the steps. “Walk and talk. Got it.” 

They headed down the quiet streets that lead to the park, Charity leading the way. They passed Muffet’s quaint cafe front, Asgore’s bright flower shop, Toriel’s little house that she taught at... 

They turned a corner and the concrete floor underfoot turned to gravel. The smell of freshly trimmed grass welcomed them into the park. As they walked alongside the lake, Charity spotted Onionsan floating quietly in the distance. The strange water monster only ever surfaced at this time in the evening, when few people ventured into the park. 

Despite her initial intentions, Charity had not yet said a word to Sans, who followed quietly by her side. It was only when they turned into the secluded picnic area that she finally found her voice. 

“This was a bad idea.” She declared suddenly, turning on Sans who had settled into a bench beneath a street lamp. 

“You’re right,” he replied and she felt her heart drop at his sudden retort. 

”We should have gone to Grillby’s. It’s way too hot out.” 

Charity rolled her eyes as she watched Sans tug at the collar of his white t-shirt. 

“No, Sans...” she sighed. “I mean this-“ she gestured towards the town somewhere behind her. 

Sans raised an eyebrow. 

“Monsters coming to the surface!” She clarified.

Sans’ expression remained neutral as he asked, “what do you mean?”

Charity groaned as she flopped down onto the bench beside him. 

“You know what I mean, Sans. After what happened to Papyrus-“ 

He held up a dismissive hand. “Charity,” he began. But she went on as if she hadn’t heard him. 

“Your brother’s strong-“

”He is indeed.”

”But he was also very lucky-“

”He sure was.”

She cast her sad eyes towards him. 

“But what happens if it happens to someone else? Someone who won’t be as lucky? Someone not as strong?” 

Sans heaved another sigh and made another small attempt to stop her. But she ignored it again.

“What if it happens to Alphys?”

”Undyne would never let that happen?”

”or Toriel?”

”She’s tougher than she looks.”

”Or Muffet?”

Sans snorted a laugh. “Have you seen what she keeps as a pet?”

Charity groaned as she pushed her face into her hands. She wished she knew how to express all the complex feelings of guilt and anxiety that had plagued her ever since the attack. She could still see the sharp blade slice it’s way through Papyrus’ gentle face. But before she could even attempt to string together a sentence, Sans spoke up. 

“C’mon buddy. Don’t try and take on the responsibility for us all.” 

She felt him place a hand on her back as her face remained pressed into her palms.

”We have you to thank for giving us this chance to start over and if we have to fight for it from time to time then we will.” 

She sniffed quietly and turned her head to look at him. 

“But Papyrus...” 

“Papyrus can’t wait to be able to style his hair again. And yesterday, Toriel actually smiled at Asgore...” his face grinned kindly at her as she finally continued to listen. 

“Little lady Muffet has never been more rich and I don’t think Alphys and Undyne would ever leave their enormous collection of anime behind for anything...”

The faintest of smiles graced Charity’s lips at that. 

“Coz there sure isn’t enough room underground for it all.” 

She let out a laugh. Though it was small, it was the first one she’d done in a while. But there was still so much she wanted to say. Still so many things she wanted to clarify. Still so many things she wanted to understand. He watched her as she gathered all these questions at the front of her mind. Her mouth opened to speak-

“Charity.”

She sighed, knowing that he was about to shut down her onslaught of questions. 

“I have something for you.”

_Okay. Not what she’d been expecting._

She eyed him curiously as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, leather-bound book.

“My sketchbook!” She cried, taking it from him with a smile that finally reached her eyes. 

“Sure is.”

She began to flick through the pages, the paper emitting a comforting warmth beneath her fingertips. She smiled as her little drawings looked back at her- funny little sketches of all the things she’d seen upon her first ever visit to the underground. On one page, a drawing of Undyne and Alphys holding hands, on another a grinning Papyrus. And they kept going and going for pages and pages. As she made her way through them, she couldn’t help but laugh at how accurately she had caught their personalities- from Undyne’s toothy grin to Toriel’s kind eyes. There was even one of Sans and his glowing iris, a snowball floating above his palm. 

“I’d forgotten you had this.”

He grunted a laugh. “Heh. I figured. So much for it being your most cherished possession, huh?” 

That’s right. That’s what she’d told him nearly 10 months ago when he’d walked her to the train station and let her keep his jacket. 

_Well if I’m keeping something, then you should too._

_That sketchbook is one of my most cherished possessions. My mother left it for me. I never got around to using it until a few days ago.._

Charity scoffed playfully. 

“Yeah well, if you haven’t noticed...” she began in mock impatience, “I’ve been busy helping monsters integrate into the human world. Not that you’d know anything about being busy, Sans.” 

She returned the lazy grin he gave her. 

“Actually...” he began, holding up a finger, “I have been busy.” He nodded towards the sketchbook in her hands. “Take a look on the last page.” 

With a curious sidewards glance in his direction, she flipped the pages til it landed on the one in question. 

“See?” 

Upon it was rather naive drawing of a person. They were small, with a large head and short hair styled similar to hers. Their eyes were drawn as little slits and they were dressed in the same dress and boots combo that Charity had worn throughout her stay underground. She let out a laugh. 

“Is this supposed to be me?”

She glimpsed Sans’ wide, easy grin over her shoulder.

“What? You don’t like it?” 

Charity continued to laugh as her eyes returned to the peculiar little version of herself in her hands. 

“It looks nothing like me!” 

Sans leaned in closer to peer at the book in a fake, silent scrutiny. She couldn’t help but notice how his leg pressed up neatly against hers. 

“You’re right.” He said suddenly, breaking her train of thought. 

“It’s way too cute.” 

Charity guffawed in theatrical offence. And swatted him lightly on the arm- once, twice, three times. 

“But really...” she began, having finished beating him on the arm and casting her eyes back to Sans’ sketch of her, “I love it.” 

Sans winked an eye and slouched into the back of the bench. 

For a while they just sat in silence- something they had grown accustom to these past few months. It was never an awkward silence, but a comfortable one where the both simply eased into each other’s presence and watched the world go by. 

“Sit up for me, Sans.” Charity’s chimed all of a sudden, looking over her shoulder at his slouching form.

“Huh?” He frowned.

She prodded his arm. “Sit up straight, will you?” 

Still frowning at her request, he did as he was told, wriggling upright so that his spine was flush against the back of the bench. 

“That’s better...” Charity smiled, as she in turn wriggled further down the bench so that her head could now lay comfortably on his shoulder. So long as they sat this way, their slight height difference didn’t matter so much. 

“Heh. Oh I see,” Sans said with a grin as his arm naturally went around her. “Always with the height jokes, huh?” 

She laughed as she felt him rest his head rested atop hers. “I don’t recall saying such a thing.” 

“You wear those heels to spite me.”

She grinned. 

Another serene silence floated by. 

The evening was drawing to a close, the horizon glowing with a warm, orange light as were the street lamps that were lighting above them. The air was warm and the birdsong eventually turned into the chirping of crickets that were welcoming the first of the stars. 

Charity wondered whether Sans had fallen asleep. The chances were highly likely. Nevertheless, she spoke up over the sound of the crickets. 

“Knock knock...” 

She felt Sans stir. She smiled as she imagined his face full of bewilderment-usually she ignored his attempts at knock knock jokes, let alone told any herself. 

“Who’s there?” He followed, and by the tone of his voice she could tell he was smiling. 

When she raised her head from his shoulder to turn to look at him, her suspicion was correct. He grinned at her, his face close to hers.

“I want to kiss you,” she continued, holding his gaze that now housed obvious signs of shock and disbelief.

“What?” He asked, taken aback by her words and the smirking lips they left from.

“Carry on the joke, Sans.”

She watched in silent glee as he took a deep breath, swallowed hard then spoke slowly-

“I want...to kiss you-“ he paused, his light eyes still searching hers, “who?”

Charity’s face split into a deviously wide smile, her tongue poking slightly between her teeth. 

“Aww, do you really, Sans?” She tilted her head and couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat when she saw him, almost subconsciously, turn his. 

She leaned in closer, and it appeared that he had too...

Because by the time her finger had traveled from her mouth to the inside of his ear, they’re lips had been barely a breath away. 

As she dug her wet finger in further he recoiled backwards onto the seat of the bench, yelping in disgust as Charity cackled loudly atop him. 

“Get dunked on! Nerd!” She cried over his feeble protests. 

Mercifully, she ended the onslaught a few seconds later. Sans cursed her quietly as he lay on his back, glaring up at the sky, her still-laughing head resting softly on his chest. 

Once her giggles finally died away, she propped herself up on an elbow and wiped her finger on his jacket. 

“I can’t believe you thought I wanted to make out with you,” she teased, patting his chest in mock sympathy. 

Her smiled brought back his own. 

“Well, doesn’t everyone?” He winked. If her dirty trick had bothered him, he made no hint at showing it. There was no hiding his wide grin at this angle. 

“Oh you mean all your fan girls?” Charity questioned with a raise of her brows. She thought about Edith and all the young girls in the front row of his shows. 

“Exactly,” He quipped, his blue eyes widening to emphasise the fact. 

Charity laughed, “yeah, what’s with that?” 

She felt Sans shrug beneath her as they continued to remain horizontal on the bench. 

“No idea. Probably because I’m so _pun_ - _believably_ charming.” He winked again and Charity mock cringed, sucking air sharply in through her teeth. 

“It truly is a mystery.”

And, as they slipped into another amicable silence, she didn’t fail to miss Sans’ eyes drop occasionally to her lips. 

“Well then...” she breathed, “we should really try and find some food to bring back. They’ll be wondering what happened to us.”

She hoped that they weren’t too worried by their prolonged absence. 

“Wanna go grab some snacks from behind the bar at Grillby’s?” 

His chest heaved a sigh beneath her palm. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

They exchanged a wide grin. 

“C’mon then,” she said with a final pat on his chest. “Let’s go.”

But as they sat up to leave, Charity leaned over and caught his lips with hers. He froze instantly under their touch.

The contact lasted for only a moment. Then, just as his mouth finally moved to mould itself more comfortably against hers, she pulled away. 

“What was that for?” He blinked, his tone as casual as it could be, though his eyes still looked slightly out of focus. 

Charity imitated one of his trademark shrugs then replied, “thought I’d take one for the team. You know- the fan girls.” 

Sans laughed.

“Heh. And?” He pushed his hands into his pockets, “what’s the verdict?” 

Charity pulled a mock-thinking face- pursing her lips and furrowing her brow deeply as she hummed in feigned concentration. 

Then, as Sans quirked a brow at her stalled answer, she leaned in again. This time, Sans lips were ready to meet hers. For someone who had seemingly spent most of their life without lips, he sure did know how to use them. Perhaps he’d spent more time in his human form than he’d let on. Or perhaps he was just a quick learner. 

His lips melted against hers without any trace of timidness and began a gentle dance that slowed Charity’s breathing but raised her heartbeat. She felt his fingers touch lightly at her cheek. For a brief moment, her tongue had rolled gently against his. The noise it drew from him wasn’t all too dissimilar to that of a growl, thought it wasn’t one of protest.

She drew back quickly so as to avoid falling victim to the heated thoughts that were now threatening to blur her conscience. 

She attempted to regain her expression of mock-scrutiny, though her face was now significantly more flushed. 

“I’d say mediocre at best.” She smirked, her lips still carrying his taste. She stood up before she could be lulled back into yet a third round.

He watched her leave in the direction of Grillby’s. On the surface, he seemed entirely unfazed by what had just passed between them.

“Well, considering I aim for mediocrity, I’d call that a win,” he joked. 

_It felt like a win for her, at least._

_“_ Well come on then!” She motioned, “let’s go break the news to your devoted fans. Mr. Mediocre.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. Just a bit of tongue-in-cheek (excuse the pun) fun, joking about all Sans’ naughty fan girls. But really, I think Charity and Sans make better pals than lovers. No?


	17. Timelines

Charity’s mood had vastly improved over the next few days. The sun felt a little warmer, the air smelt a little sweeter and the flowers looked a little brighter. And it wasn’t just because the days were rolling into July. 

Though Sans and Charity never truly spoke about what happened that night in the park, they’re relationship had significantly recovered from their awkward encounter in his lab. She hadn’t tried to get him to explain it again further. She knew that, no matter how many times he tried to explain his research to her, she would never be able to wrap her head around it. The knowledge of this did however make her feel pity towards him. It seemed quite lonely to know so much while others remained so ignorant. And, no matter how at ease he would appear upon first impression, she suspected that there was a lot about his mysterious past that hinted at a far more complex character than the one she thought she knew. She thought back to the surname he’d adopted- Gaster...

She had tried to piece together her own theories about how all this tied together but never dared speak her speculations out loud. 

When her face had betrayed a hint at these emotions one day while she and Sans sat together, his eyes catching her watching him sadly over his new book, he’d laughed and said-

“Now, that face there...” he lowered his book slightly, “is why I try to avoid sharing this information with anyone else.”

Charity suspected that maybe Alphys and the other strangers in the photos she’d seen in his lab were the only others who knew. Possibly Papyrus too, to a degree.

She’d looked away sheepishly and apologised. 

“It’s why I like to make people laugh.” 

The notion that his humour was just a front to hide his nihilism did nothing to stop the sad expression on Charity’s face. 

She’d lain awake often wondering about these other timelines-other versions of herself, all the other realities. Was there a timeline where her mother was still alive? Quantum Physics would state that ‘yes there was.’ When she jokingly told Sans to ‘fight her’ one day, he’d responded with a ‘I did once.” 

The simple three words had caught her off guard. The problem with Sans was that it was sometimes hard to tell if and when he was joking. She’d peered at him, her face stuck between her previous smile and her now confused frown. “Did I win?” She tried in a tight voice that lacked the casual tone she’d attempted to muster. 

“Sometimes,” he winked. 

If she were to take him seriously, he was suggesting that perhaps, in another timeline, she had in fact wielded that knife she’d brought with her to Snowdin that day. 

One day, when her head hurt after hours of pondering the concept of timelines, (she could see why Sans was always so tired), she’d turned to him. He was reading another book she’d brought back from the store. 

“How much do you know about what happens in the other timelines?” She asked quietly. Papyrus was in his bedroom working out. 

He peered at her from over his book for a moment before settling it down on his chest. 

“It’s mainly just speculation. The law’s pretty simple-For every choice you’ve made, there’s a separate timeline where you went with the other option.”

“And you think there’s a timeline where-“ she paused, knowing how naive her next words would sound, “where we aren’t friends?” She watched him closely, despite the urge to look away. 

“I’m sure there is.” 

She nodded slowly. “Do you know what happens in this timeline?” She asked, her voice small. “The timeline we’re in now?”

“Not until it does,” he winked. 

Charity sighed, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. She decided then and there that she’d never try to bring up the headache-of-a-subject up again. Closing her eyes as her fingers massaged her temple she settled back into the couch before turning to him and saying with a forced smile “maybe in another timeline, your jokes aren’t so bad.” 

He grinned lazily at that, turning a page in his book. “Heh. Unlikely.” 

And when he cast her a small look over it’s pages, she concluded that this was definitely a timeline where she could call Sans her friend. 

If Sans’ and Charity’s relationship had reached a new found understanding for one another, the same seemingly couldn’t be said for Undyne and Alphys- much to Charity’s disappointment. She had always found their relationship inspiring and adorable. 

It had happened practically overnight. Undyne had confided in Charity one day over lunch that Alphys had been acting different lately- distant. Her usually sheepishness had apparently turned into that of complete withdrawal. 

“She can’t seem to look me in the eye and when I try to talk to her about it, she just outright ignores me!” 

Charity had chanced a look around the cafe at the turned heads- Undyne was speaking very loudly, her fist crushing a bread loaf to crumbs. 

Not only did Undyne take her frustrations out on baked-goods but, much to Grillby’s exasperation, she also channeled it into her line of work. As bouncer on the door to the bar in the evenings, the fiery red-head’s patience for late-night revellers had shrank to the size of a marble. Consequently, Sans’ usually large audience had dwindled down to just a handful of devoted fans. That being said, Edith and Toriel’s laughter was enough to compensate for the losses. 

The only positive that came from this strange, new development in Undyne and Alphys’ relationship was that Undyne had chosen to train with Papyrus every day without fail. Now fully recovered from his attack, the younger sibling had begged Undyne to continue his former royal guard training- something that he had abandoned after coming to the surface. Charity suspected that, although the hadn’t shown it, he was still a little embarrassed about how badly his attack had gone. 

Charity’s dad continued to visit at least twice a month. Sans would always bake a pie, Papyrus some pasta, and her dad would bring a new recipe from his restaurant menu to teach Charity. Things had finally lapsed back into a state of calm. Though the worry of another attack never truly left her, and the questions around the mystery of the skelebros still surfaced on occasion, Charity and the monsters found contentment over the summer months. Then, one day as they settled in for the evening after Charity had taken the brothers to an art museum for a well needed break from science, a loud knock at the door sounded. 

Before Sans could even attempt a cheeky ‘who’s there?’ Charity had already called out.

“Coming!” She cast him a mocking glance as she passed him. 

She’d recognised the loud knock immediately therefore wasn’t surprised to see Undyne standing there. She was surprised, however, to see her beaming for the first time in weeks. And when Charity’s eyes caught the equally elated smile of Alphys at her side, she couldn’t stop herself from blurting “what’s going on?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to invite them in?” Papyrus called from the living room. 

But Undyne had already burst forwards, dragging Charity alongside her while Alphys tottered behind, still smiling brightly. 

“Guess what?!” Undyne asked in an uncharacteristic squeal of delight. 

“Well you’ve clearly both made up,” replied Sans. “Grillby will be pleased to have his customers back.” 

Undyne, clearly too ecstatic to take note of his snarky tone, turned to Charity and Papyrus. She was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet when she declared loudly.

“Alphys and I are getting married!” 

It turned out, as Charity poured celebratory glasses of wine, that the reason Alphys had been so distant was because she had planning the perfect proposal for her love. Apparently, it hadn’t truly gone to plan because a frustrated Undyne had simply nagged an explanation for the timid blonde. The proposal had sounded romantic nonetheless, and the two lovers were clearly over the moon. 

Papyrus had almost fainted when Undyne asked the two brothers to be her best-men and Alphys had taken Charity’s hand to ask her to join Muffet as her bridesmaids. They obviously accepted the offer graciously and the wedding planning soon became the number one priority for the new few weeks.


	18. It's Raining Somewhere Else

Charity had suggested that the news about the proposal should probably remain within the monster community for fear that the small-town locals might not react too well to same sex marriage. 

_Lucky they still didn’t know that they were also monsters_. 

However, Undyne’s excitement couldn’t be contained, especially from here favourite townsfolk Edith who, after hearing the news one night at Grillby’s, ordered a round of drinks to celebrate. If any of the other locals had any problem with it, they sure as hell didn’t have the guts to say anything to the wide-grinned, one-eyed red head. The more positive side to Charity hoped that they were simply all just as happy for the two women as she and the other monsters were. Asgore was particularly choked up by the news and insisted that his former Royal guard and Royal scientist should have the ceremony back at the palace. To keep Edith and the other humans happy, Charity suggested that the reception take place back on the surface. Sans suggested the park would make a nice location. He exchanged a look with Charity who hid her grin behind her cup of tea. From the other side of the room, Undyne’s eyes narrowed. No one had found out about their moment in the park. And, though nothing like that had happened again, _nor would it_ -Charity reminded herself, the two of them still treated the intimate moment like an inside joke. 

The wedding planning had also brought Charity and Alphys even closer. The little blonde’s confidence blossomed over the coming weeks, her ability to interact with humans improved especially. She had arranged with the town hall for a Gazebo to be erected in the park all by herself, though did stumble over a few words on the phone. Muffet and Grillby offered to cater the event while Toriel attended the dress fitting. She had cried a little when Alphys emerged in a pretty, frilly number. 

“I think that’s the one!” 

And when Charity gifted her a tiara similar to the one her favourite anime warrior princess wore, Alphys had sobbed happily for the entire trip home. 

Between the different wedding planning events, life went on as usual and the anxiety of another attack ebbed further and further to the back of Charity’s mind. So much so, that she took up her old love for painting. 

After her dad helped her haul her old easel up the stairs and into her apartment, she set it by the window where the room got the most light. As she would paint, Papyrus would come by and scratch his chin thoughtfully. His interest in her artwork was flattering. She told him all about the different art movements throughout human history while Sans flicked through his science books. She told Papyrus she’d studied art at college, something he found astounding. 

“I didn’t realise there was so much more to art than drawing!” He declared after Charity had walked him through an extremely simplified explanation of Dadaism. 

“And Sans always said Art was for baby bones!” 

In the corner of her eye she saw the older brother flinch slightly. She narrowed her eyes at him, setting her paintbrush back into its pot.

“Oh did he now? Mr. Quantum Physics?” 

She quirked an eyebrow, paint-flecked hand on her hip. He shrugged behind his book. She could tell from the way his shoulders bounced that he was chuckling. She would have found this annoying if she hadn’t seen him spend a good 30 minutes studying her unfinished painting earlier that day. As she had watched him quietly through a crack in the door of her bedroom, she had smirked at his puzzled expression. Unlike Papyrus, who seemed to absorb the emotion of each brushstroke and the significance of each colour with ease, the older more analytical brother seem to have trouble making any sense of it. 

It was only when she turned to them both one morning, paint smeared on her face and her hair in a wild bun, and declared that it was finally finished that she could help him see her intention. 

“Wowie!” Papyrus exclaimed, standing at her right side, his eyes bright with admiration as they roamed the canvas. 

“So er, what’s it meant to be?” Asked Sans from her left. She could tell he’d been secretly wanting to ask that for a while now.

Smirking, she said simply “the view from our window.”

Papyrus was nodding happily while his brother glanced from the canvas to the view in question. 

“But...the painting looks like...rain?” He frowned. 

This time it was Charity’s turn to nod. 

“But it hasn’t rained in weeks?”

Charity grinned at him. 

“Well...” she began, leaning over the sofa to pick up the book on Quantum Physics he had been reading, “don’t your books suggest otherwise?” She tossed it to him. 

He blinked at her, catching the book instinctively with those alarmingly quick reflexes. 

“It’s raining somewhere else.” She said with a casual shrug. 

And when he next looked from the canvas to the sun shining outside the window, she saw a wide grin spread across his face.

Another timeline, the same window, a different outcome. 

Once fully dry, the painting was to be given to Undyne and Alphys as a wedding gift. The event itself was only days away and both those on the surface and those beneath it were buzzing with excitement. A part of Charity still felt saddened by the fact that monsters still had to hide behind their disguises to be welcomed, but she retained the hope that one day that would change. In the meantime, Papyrus’ enthusiasm for his hair and muscles, kept her from worrying about the monsters’ need to pose as humans for too long. 

“Speaking of hair...” he mused on the morning of the wedding, “we must do something about yours finally!” 

He rounded on his older brother who was still slippered and yawning wildly. 

“Nope,” He said simply, sliding onto the sofa with a cup of coffee in hand.

“What’s the point anyway? We’ll be in our monster forms for the ceremony.”

Charity listened to their bickering from her room as she applied some makeup. 

“Yes, but the party will take place here with the humans! You can’t attend looking like that!” 

There was a pause and Charity imagined Papyrus gesturing towards a bed-headed Sans. The silence that followed suggested he’d merely shrugged. The exasperated sigh from Papyrus confirmed this. 

When she finally emerged from her room after sitting through more bickering about what Sans should wear, she was amused to find Papyrus carefully tending to a sleeping Sans’ messy, white hair. He placed a finger to his lips when she raised her eyebrows at him, his other hand holding what looked to be a pot of styling putty. 

When Sans finally roused and caught his reflection in the mirror on his way to his room, he simply grunted and stalked off to get changed. 

Papyrus and Charity exchanged compliments with one another. He looked very smart in his bow tie and tuxedo. He was particularly pleased with how he got his blond locks to look and offered to fix Charity’s up-do as she struggled with her pins. 

Sans appeared from his room only moments before it was time to go. It had been a lost cause trying to get him into a tux, much to Papyrus’ frustration. Luckily, he was at least out of his slippers. He wore the same white t shirt and shorts he usually was seen in but had swapped his blue jacket for a fur lined black one and his slippers for some black and white sneakers. Papyrus was happy to see that he’d left what he’d done to his hair alone. Although, it did look a little less tidy than when he’d first styled it. Charity thought Sans may have tried to return it to its naturally messy state but decided against it in case he hurt Papyrus’ feelings. 

“Well, I’d hardly called it fit for the palace,” Papyrus grumbled as they headed for the underground. Undyne and Alphys were already there. Sans grinned, “c’mon bro, you look cool enough for the both of us.” This statement made the younger brother puff out his chest and he made no further comment on his siblings’s semi-casual attire. 

Upon reaching the ceremony, Charity wasn’t surprised to see that nearly the whole of the underground had attended. The great hall was full to bursting point. Gold and blue flowers decorated every corner and a slow, tinkling music floated quaintly through the air. Undyne was stood at the top of the room wearing her armour, a smiling Asgore at her side. Everyone was in their monster forms. When Undyne spotted them as they took their places next to her, Papyrus took no time in telling her how good his hair looked, or would look at the reception on the surface. He apologised for his brother’s lack of formal attire but the beaming warrior woman was simply happy to have them by her side. 

The ceremony itself was a simply, yet tender one. The monster weddings weren’t exactly like those held on the surface. Although very similar, the main thing that differed was the length of the vows. The two women spent the best part of 40 minutes sharing they admiration and devotion for each other. Undyne’s speech had been like an epic tale, full of passion and enthusiasm. Alphys spoke fast and thought her sentences lacked structure at times, her words were heartfelt and sweet. Papyrus wept like a baby at Sans’ side. Luckily, the older sibling managed to keep his eyes open for the entire ceremony. 

Soon it was time to take the party back to the surface. After bidding goodbye to those who chose to remain underground, the others ventured excitedly back towards the setting sun.


	19. Telekenesis Tango

The huge gazebo was already full of friends from the surface by the time the monsters arrived, back in their human forms and ready to receive the newly weds. Undyne and Alphys were the last to arrive and entered to the sound of applause. Alphys blushed so deeply she was almost the same shade as the roses that decorated the inside of the tent. Fairy lights danced in everyone’s eyes and the inviting smell of a BBQ and sweet punch drifted on the light, summer breeze. 

Once everyone was fed and the punch bowl needed refilling for a third time, a round of speeches was in order. A short but sweet one from Papyrus, another epically recited spiel from Undyne and a lovely one from Asgore that brought on a lot of tears. Even Toriel looked touched as she discreetly dabbed her eyes with a napkin. 

As the evening turned to night, Alphys took everyone by surprise by getting onto the stage with a mic in her shaking hand. 

“E-everyone!” She spoke, flinching at her own amplified voice, “everyone. I’d like to m-make an announcement-“ 

However, before she could even utter the first syllable of said announcement, the subject of that announcement burst forth from the curtains behind her in a dramatic cloud of smoke and lights. 

“Well helloooo Darlings!” 

Charity’s face pulled into a bemused smile. The character that had just strutted onto stage was the most flamboyant person she’d ever seen. He had the sleekest complexion that seemed to glow beneath the colored lights, the thickest jet black hair that bounced with every movement and the brightest ensemble of clothing that she’d ever seen. _Those boots._

“Mettaton!” Papyrus cried in delight while the humans looked on with bemused faces. 

It turned out that Alphys had spent time reworking his outer body to look more humanoid. More skin-like. Considering he was a robot, Charity thought his appearance was uncanny to that of an airbrushed Popstar. 

“The wonderful Dr Alphys has invited yours truly to be your entertainment for tonight! So without further ado...” The robot struck a glamorous pose, pink heels clicking beneath him, “let’s get this party started!” 

Mettaton’s upbeat music and Grillby’s cocktails soon got people onto the dance floor. Charity found herself dancing with Muffet while Undyne spun a green-looking Alphys around beside them. It was only when Charity mercifully suggested that they perform the human tradition of throwing a bouquet of flowers did Undyne relent her vigorous dance routine to let her new bride do the honours. After regaining her balance, Alphys took the flowers Asgore handed to her and wobbled onto stage. 

Mettaton counted down into the mic while women, including an already twice-married old Edith, gathered on the dance floor with their hands stretched skywards in eager anticipation.

“2...1!” 

Alphys threw the bouquet in a surprisingly high arch. It missed the chandelier by inches and soared over the crowd of snatching hands. As Charity watched it fall, she held her breath. The roses plummeted towards a lone figure sleeping peacefully on one of the couches. As they threatened to land straight on to his lap, however, the bouquet suddenly changed course and flew straight towards the bar. Luckily, it had happened so fast that many of the cocktail-fuelled revellers assumed it to be a trick of the light or a gust of wind. But Charity had seen the roses glow blue and Sans wave a hand casually across his face. He hadn’t even opened his eyes but she knew his left iris must have come ablaze beneath its lid. 

He did open them a few seconds later, however, when the sound of his younger brother’s angry yell sounded. The rogue bouquet had struck Papyrus straight in the side of his head, knocking him sideways. Charity held back a giggle as she wandered over to Sans, her eyes still watching the scene at the bar unfold.

The shocked younger sibling had fallen quite hard into the person next to him, who in turn had spilt their drink. 

“What the-“ Papyrus had spluttered, then as his eyes caught sight of the person he’d bumped into, his voice seemed to hitch. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry miss!” 

The young girl looked shocked, but as she processed what had just happened, her face split into a bewildered smile.

“Did the bouquet just hit you?” She laughed. 

Papyrus looked slightly flushed. 

“Well, yes. Yes it did.” He eyed the puddle of spilt beverage on the bar. “So sorry! I should get you another drink!” He looked nervous and Charity exchanged a bemused glance with Sans who shrugged.

The young girl at the bar waved a dismissive hand.

“Don’t worry about it! I wasn’t a fan of the flavour anyway.” She proceeded to mop the puddle up with a fistful of napkins.

“I didn’t get your name?” 

Papyrus looked startled for a moment. 

“Oh, well yes. I mean no! My name is Papyrus, Papyrus the-“ Charity winced, But luckily he’d caught himself just in time. She heard Sans chuckle quietly. 

“Papyrus the?” The girl continued, her lips twitching a smile. 

“Nothing.” He gulped. 

“Papyrus the nothing?” The girl clarified, her brow raised in amusement. “That bouquet must have hit you real hard, huh?” She grinned kindly at him as she patted his arm. 

“Here, lemme get you a drink. I think you need one more then me.” 

The scene made Charity’s heart melt. When she made a sound of delight as she watched Papyrus and the girl strike up a conversation as Grillby handed them both new drinks, Sans had sighed. 

“What’s the matter, bud?” Charity smirked. “This was all your doing.” She sank into the soft cushions next to him. 

“Nothing. It’s just nice to see him making friends.” 

Charity smiled as she nodded in agreement. The two at the bar were now laughing openly, the bouquet of roses still at their feet. Charity and Sans were both thankful to see that Papyrus hadn’t yet flexed. 

As the night went on, Charity alternated between the bar, the dance floor and the couch. The cocktails would give her enough courage to dance with Undyne then she’d have to sit down for at least 20 minutes til her feet stopped hurting. When she finally decided to take off her heels, she turned to Sans with a smirk. “Will you dance with me now?”

The last time she’d asked him, he’d told her that there was no chance he’d be caught dancing, especially with a girl who towered over him. But as she tossed aside her 5 inch heels, his face still didn’t looked convinced. 

“C’mon! Now we’re almost the same size again!” She was still a few inches taller than him barefoot. 

He grunted a laugh as she tugged on his arm. 

“Absolutely not. Ask Papyrus.” 

Charity rolled her eyes towards the bar where the younger sibling still stood talking to the pretty raven-haired girl. 

“And scare off his new friend?” She quipped. 

“Yeah. I guess you are pretty scary.”

She knocked her shoulder perhaps a little too roughly against his. Grillby was being generous with his measurements of alcohol tonight. 

“Too cool to dance huh, buddy?” She teased with a mock glare. 

“Absolutely.” 

Charity scoffed through a small smile.

“Suit yourself.”

But as she got up to leave, a cool sensation enveloped her hand and it shot out in front of her. She was dragged towards the dance floor by her own, glowing fingers then she was spun on the spot. As patches of blue appeared and disappeared across her hands, waist, hips and back she was tilted and spun this way and that, laughing all the while. Luckily, the dance floor was so busy with bodies and lights that no one seemed to notice the odd scene. Although, some of the monsters looked on with interest. When she was finally dipped into an uncomfortably low pose as Mettaton’s song struck its final note, Charity saw Sans grinning at her with his left eye aglow. With a final swipe of his haloed hand, she was snapped back upright, hair strewn across her face and the strap of her dress slipped from her shoulder. 

After their strange telekinesis-tango, she and Sans ventured outside to get some air-mainly for Charity’s sake. The dewy grass welcomed her sore feet and the crisp night air cooled her flushed face. 

“Remind me never to ask you to dance ever again,” she said as she sipped her glass of water. Alcohol didn’t seem too tempting after her moment on the dance floor. 

“Heh. I thought your moves looked great,” he said with a wink and a shrug. “You didn’t even fall once.” 

Charity snorter a laugh. “Honestly, if you’d have dropped me, I’d have had to up your rent.” 

After their laughter died down, they slipped into one of their comfortable silences. Charity couldn’t help but remember that the last time they’d sat together like this in the park, she’d stolen a kiss from him. And he had returned it shortly after. She fought back the temptation to chance a look at him, secretly hoping that he was thinking the same. But his eyes remained skyward. 

“It’s a clear night out,” he said conversationally, his light eyes scanning the patchwork of constellations above them. 

Charity tilted her head back as a light breeze lifted the locks of hair that had flown loose from her coiled up-do. 

“Sure is.”

The music from the tent filled the void in their conversation. Even without looking behind her, she could identify Undyne’s loud laughter and Papyrus’ eccentric tone for conversation over the pounding bass line. 

“Hey,” Sans quipped suddenly, and his hand wrapped gently around her wrist. 

“I wanna show you something.”

And without warning, the air in her lungs caught and her vision went black.


	20. Howzaboutit?

When her vision flooded back to her eyes and the air to her lungs, Charity found herself stood staring out at the dark horizon. It took her a moment, but she eventually recognised her surroundings. Moments ago, she had been sat on a park bench outside the gazebo, surrounded by lights and music. Now, she was stood on the roof of her apartment block, the gazebo and the music barely distinguishable in the distance. 

“Okay...” she wheezed, still breathless from the jump, “that was more than just one of your shortcuts.”

Sans chuckled as he released her wrist, “whoops. Should have warned ya, huh?” 

She nodded, her eyes taking in the distance they had just traveled in quiet disbelief. The gazebo was lit up like a lantern against the inky black horizon. Mettaton’s music was a dull murmur on the wind. 

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked when she finally caught her breath, Sans waiting quietly beside her, hands in pockets- a picture of ease. 

“Like I said,” he began, strolling a short distance away into the gloom, “I wanted to show you something.”

When he emerged back into the slither of light the street lamps below provided, he was carrying a telescope. He set it down and began adjusting it while Charity looked on curiously. 

“Since it’s such a clear night, I thought I should finally take the chance to set this thing up.” He jerked his head towards the telescope. “Howzabout it?” He winked. 

Charity grinned. His was so contagious. He moved aside while she shuffled towards the eyepiece. She pressed her eye against the cool metal and couldn’t help but be amazed by what she saw. It was funny to think that, as she admired the blazing orbs above her, in her 21 years on earth, she had never used a telescope before. She breathed out a sigh of delight when she pulled back from the eyepiece. 

“Beautiful!” 

When she turned to look at Sans, she was startled to find him grinning broadly at her. Of course, she was used to his trademark expression by now. She knew that he had a different grin for nearly every occasion. Sometimes it was slightly slack and lazy with lowered lids. Other times it was laughing in that low, steady rhythm. This time however, his eyes twinkled like the stars above them and his white, even teeth glinted like a wild cat’s fangs. It was the grin he pulled after he’d pulled one of his pranks _. Damn him_. 

She ran her tongue across her teeth. That low, impish chuckle cut through air. She didn’t even have to touch her face to know she’d find the skin around her eye wet. She did so anyway. Her fingertips came back red. 

“I swear Sans, if this is ketchup...” she tried to sound threatening but her voice trembled with strained laughter. 

“Huh? You aren’t satisfied?” He replied, feigning ignorance. 

After swatting at him for a good 30 seconds, she finally relented when he offered her a napkin. Her face and the telescope now ketchup free, Sans actually began to talk her through some of the constellations and planets visible above them. She sketched some in her sketchbook next to the small stain of red that had gotten there somehow. 

From their view on the roof, they watched the party in the park continue. Seven or eight lengthy songs must have passed, judging from the switching of tempos that drifted to them across the lake, over the grass, along the streets and up to their high perch. 

“We should probably head back.” Charity muttered, stifling a yawn. Her head lolled gently on Sans’ shoulder. For once, she was the one on the verge of sleep while Sans sat boldly upright, his usual slouch gone. Although, it may simply have been so that Charity could rest her head easily against him without having to shuffle down a few inches. She smiled at the thought. 

“Yeah, someone best save that poor girl from Papyrus’ monologuing.”

Charity gave a sleepy laugh. “Don’t be mean. Those two were so cute.” 

Sans hummed quietly in thought. “I suppose I could just call him.” He took out his phone and proceeded to dial his younger sibling’s number. The frown on his face suggested that Papyrus hadn’t picked up the phone. He left a message and returned both his phone and hand to his pocket. His other hand shook Charity’s shoulders gently. 

“C’mon sleepy. Let’s head inside.”

That night, despite their best intentions, they fell asleep on the couch beneath his jacket. A hand slung tenderly around a shoulder, a cheek pressed softly against a temple, one chest rising slowly beneath another. 

Even if they were to be discovered the next morning, the kiss they’d shared moments before sleep was to be kept secret. 

-The End 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note from the Author: First of all, a big thank you to everyone who actually read this thing from start to finish. Lemme know who you are in the comments and leave any feedback- it would be much appreciated. This fic was written on a whim, fuelled by the boredom of quarantine. Although this is the end of this particular story, I do intend to continue writing some one-shots featuring these characters. So stay tuned for those! Once again, thanks for sticking with me through my very first fanfic. Which scenes were your fave? What constructive criticism do you have? 
> 
> Peace. 
> 
> Also, for more of my work, look me up on Quotev (BrownieBearie) ;)


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